Bad at Love
by Caffeinatedkiss
Summary: Hermione Granger has been in hiding for the last 3 years. Harry Potter hasnt been seen since the Battle at Hogwarts, and Draco Malfoy was assumed dead. That is, until Hermione stumbles upon him in an alley in Muggle London.
1. Drunken Draco

Hermione Granger walked briskly down the sidewalk, glancing over her shoulder every few feet. Couldn't a girl enjoy a cappuccino without some prick hitting on her? And why wasn't 'I'm not interested' enough? Why was their response always 'why? You got a boyfriend on something?' She had downed the rest of her cappuccino and quickly exited the cafe. She was in muggle London, and completely alone. She looked back over her shoulder for the umpteenth time to see if she was being followed. It didn't look like she was.

She had been in hiding for three years and still hadn't been discovered, but that didn't mean she ever let her guard down. Mad-eye yelling 'constant vigilance!' rang in Hermione's head every day. She had had a few close calls, especially when she snuck into wizarding London to snag a Daily Prophet. It was easy to hide in the muggle world. She was well disguised, of course. A platinum blonde wig, cut into a short bob, did well to hide her signature mahogany curls . She wore colored contacts as well.

Three years ago the famous Harry Potter had gone missing. Most people, Voldemort included, assumed him dead. He had bolted off on his solo hero mission and ditched her and Ron, so it wasn't entirely unlikely that he was actually dead. No one had seen a trace hide nor hair of him since the Battle of Hogwarts. This made it all the easier for Hermione to hide. With Harry dead, she and Ron were no longer a threat, and thus, deemed unimportant, especially if they stayed out of the wizarding world.

Shaking the thought of Harry out of her head, Hermione turned right into a deserted alley, the perfect spot to apparate back to her flat without being seen. She dug through the bag that was slung over her shoulder, her wand was somewhere inside, probably buried under the books and various vials of potions she always carried with her. She was too distracted to notice a body slumped against the left side of the alley.

Something caught Hermione's leg and she toppled to the ground. The contents of her bag spilled out onto the asphalt. Glass bottles smashed, their liquids soaking the pages of her books. Out rolled her wand. Hermione's snatched it and sat up, aiming it menacingly at the current threat.

"What the fuck, Granger?"

Hermione stared at the person laying in the alley in front of her. It couldn't be possible. _It could not be possible_. She stared into his grey eyes. His blond hair was filthy, hanging in greasy strips down the side of his face. His facial hair was horribly unkempt. There was a deep purple bruise around his right eye. He was wearing an oversized trench coat, which was also disgustingly filthy and reeked of stale body odor.

" _Malfoy_?" She asked in disbelief. She lowered her wand and placed her hand over her pounding heart. He had gone missing after the battle as well. After all, his mother had lied to the Dark Lord, a move that sealed a death sentence for the whole Malfoy line. Everyone had assumed he had been killed in the battle and his body lost.

"This can't be real. You're-you're dead! Or at least, we all thought you were dead." Malfoy gave her a goofy grin, which was very unlike him.

"Well here I fucking am, Granger!" slurred Malfoy. He gave a throaty laugh, his breath washing over her face. It smelled like cheap muggle whisky.

"Merlin, you're drunk. It's nine in the bloody morning and you're drunk off your arse. Fuck, I have to get you out of here." Hermione looked around desperately. She couldn't perform a side along apparition, not with someone this pissed. She would have to take the long way back to her flat, and she would have to drag a very drunk Draco Malfoy with her.

Getting him off the ground had been a challenge, but it did not compare to practically dragging him the rest of the way to her flat, or the fact that she had to coax him up the stairs.

"Why do you live in a building full of muggles?" He asked, rather loudly.

Hermione frantically shushed him. "We're not going to worry about that right now, Draco. Lets just get you into bed."

"Your bed?" Draco asked with a wide grin.

Hermione ignored him.

She groaned when she rounded the corner to her floor. Her elderly neighbor, Mrs. Detweiler was standing outside of her own flat. Her face was set in a scowl and she was tapping her foot angrily.

"Miss Granger" she said in a tone that brought back memories of Umbridge "it is nine thirty in the morning and you and your... friend have sent my parakeet into a frenzy-"

"Oh shut up you old bitch!" Malfoy yelled, stumbling around Hermione. He squinted hard at Mrs.Detweiler, who was rather shocked at his outburst.

"This girl" he slurred, pointing his finger at Hermione and nearly hitting her in the face "is the best and brightest witch of our age! Show her some respect!" He stumbled sideways and slumped against the wall. Hermione stared at Mrs. Detweiler, her face burning in a mix of embarrassment at Draco's drunkenness and pride at his compliment .

"I'm _so_ sorry! He's belligerent. I have no idea what he's talking about!-" but the old woman had already gone back into her flat, slamming the door hard behind her. Hermione groaned and grabbed Draco by the arm, hauling him up. He sagged on her as she unlocked the door.

"Draco, you have to give me a little help here." She said, trying desperately to steady him. The only response she got was a drunken laugh. Hermione pushed the door open and half carried Draco inside.

"Wow" he said, drawing the word out. He stumbled through the doorway and fell face first onto the floor. Hermione sat her keys on the side table that was sitting against the wall to her left and hurried over to help the drunk former Death Eater back up. Her flat was small, and her roommate, Lavender Brown was rarely home during the evenings. She was a party girl, and liked to spend most her nights with whatever man she had sank her teeth into. Hermione didn't mind. It just meant that she had the flat to herself most of the time.

Pulling Draco's arm over her shoulder, she led him to the spare bedroom and stripped off his filthy jacket and shirt.

"You're a leal rooker, you know that, Granger?" Hermione had to suppress a giggle. Draco was even more pissed than she thought if he was mixing up letters. The Draco standing in front of her was nothing like the little snob she had gone to school with. He had stood up for her in the hallway, and he had paid her a compliment, even if it was barely coherent.

By the time she had gotten his shoes off, Draco was mumbling incoherently. She unbuttoned his pants and dragged them off of him. This proved to be a very difficult task given that Draco was now completely unconscious. She grabbed the wool blanket that was hanging over the back of the armchair in the corner of the room and began to drape it over his unconscious body. She stopped, startled by at the vivid mark on his forearm. The skull stared up at her. It's eyes almost gleaming at her with hatred. Next she took in the state that Draco's body was in. Emaciated was the first word that came to her mind. Large, ugly bruises covered his body, his arms bore the marks of drug needles. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply through her nose. She held her breath for eight seconds before blowing it out through her mouth.

What are you doing, Hermione? She thought to herself. There was a Death Eater in her spare bedroom. He might not even know that Voldemort was still alive. Or that the wizarding world was in ruins. Hermione had been forced to go into hiding in the muggle world after the battle at Hogwarts. No one had heard from Harry since the war. He, like Draco, all but vanished.

Hermione gathered Draco's grimy clothing and dropped them into her washing machine, pushed start, and left. One of the many perks of living in muggle housing was definitely the electric appliances. She headed down stairs to the kitchen and made herself some tea. She sat down at her dining room table and put her head in her hands, finally allowing herself to cry. The calendar on her wall marked two weeks. Two weeks since Ron had left her.

"It's not you, Hermione, it's me" he had said, grabbing for her hand. She had yanked it away. Screaming at him to get out of her fucking flat. He had hurried out the door. He didn't see her fall into a broken heap on the floor. He didn't know that that was how Lavender found her at two in the morning when she came home from a wild night of clubbing.

Now she had a Death Eater in her house. The very same Death Eater that has ultimately led to Albus Dumbledore's death. Sure, he hadn't cast the curse himself, but he had made the path. He let the other Death Eaters into the castle. Hermione let out a great sob. Draco looked bad. Really bad. She couldn't just leave him on the street like that. He would have lasted maybe another month. November was nearly upon them and Draco surely would have frozen to death. She yanked the wig off her head and threw it to the floor. Fat angry tears rolled down her face.

She had no idea what Draco would be like when he woke up. Surely three years of hiding meant he wasn't loyal to Voldemort anymore, but she couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't try to kill her when he realized where he was.

Hermione felt a warm hand on her back. She looked up, alarmed, but immediately relaxed when she saw that it was only Lavender. The other girl reach around Hermione and grabbed her mug of now cold tea.

"I'll dump this and make you a new one." She said sympathetically.

"What have you eaten today?" She asked, her back to Hermione.

"Coffee." Hermione replied sheepishly. Lavender turned and gave her a scolding look.

"Coffee is not a meal, Hermione. You've lost nearly twelve pounds already. You can't afford to lose any more. You need food."

Hermione sighed. "I just... can't, Lav. I'm not hungry. My stomach is in knots all the time-" Hermione broke off. Her eyes began to sting with tears again.

"Heartbreak is shit, 'Mione, but you have to take care of yourself." The two girls were quiet for a moment.

"So," said Lavender finally "what did you do today?"

Hermione looked up and gave her a sheepish grin.

"Well," she started. Trying to decide how to best break the news "we may have a new roommate for the time being."

Lavender stared at Hermione in disbelief. Her mouth hanging open, her brown eyes wild with anger and fear.

"How-How could you bring him here, Hermione? He's a wanted man!" She screeched. Hermione covered her ears.

"Lav, I couldn't just... leave him like that! You should see the state of him! He was on death's doorstep!"

Lavender snorted and crossed her arms.

"Serves him right. Fucking traitor."

"We were all children, Lav-"

"Yes but we still chose to fight for good! Children or not, we knew which side was good and which was evil!"

Hermione sighed. "You know he didn't have a choice. His lineage sealed his fate. He would have been killed if he hadn't taken the Mark-"

"Any one of us would have chosen death over being a servant to that monster!" Lavender shoved away from the table and stood up. She began pacing around the kitchen, casting dirty looks at Hermione.

"Well," Lavender said after several minutes of pacing "I guess I'd better go take a look at our new houseguest."

"Don't wake him up!" Hermione pleaded "I have no idea what he'll be like sober!"

She hurriedly followed Lavender up the stairs.

The girls peeked through the door. Hermione saw that Malfoy hadn't moved an inch from where she had put him. Slowly Lavender pushed open the door and the girls tiptoed into the room. Malfoy looked even worse than he had when Hermione had first brought him in. His cheeks were sunken in, his grimy beard was somehow even grimier. His skin was a sallow grey color, which made his bruised eye even more vivid. On top of it all, the room smelled like urine and booze. Lavender covered her mouth and looked at Hermione. Tears shone in her eyes. All of his pureblood, Slytherin pride and this was where he had ended up. In a mudblood's spare bedroom, covered in urine. Did he even know his parents were dead?

Lavender didn't speak until they were back down stairs.

" I understand now." She said, facing Hermione. "I couldn't have left him either.

The buzzer on the washer alerted her that Draco's clothes were ready to be thrown on the dryer. Thankful for a break from Lavender's irritated glares, Hermione headed back upstairs and opened the lid. A second dose of urine and booze hit her in the face. Wrinkling her nose, Hermione added more detergent and ran the washer again, hopeful that a second wash would pull the smell out.

 ***A/N same chapter, only slightly revised.**

 **HUMONGOUS shout out to Bellaruthless for beta reading this. You're the real MPV!!**


	2. So Much for Soup

Draco's first thought when he regained consciousness was that the surface he was laying on was soft, and that he was warm for the first time in months.

Far too warm.

He didn't dare move on the off chance that this was some kind of wonderful dream. He heard the sound of song birds in the distance rather than the rumble of car engines.

Suddenly his stomach growled. Nope. Not a dream. Perhaps he was dead?

Draco dared to open one eye just a fraction. Through his eyelashes he could see nothing but white. Slowly he peeked through his other eye. More white. He opened his eyes the rest of the way and realized that he was staring at a white ceiling. He didn't dare move any other part of his body. Slowly his eyes searched the room until finally he summoned the strength to move his head an inch. Then another. Then another. He propped himself up on his elbows and groaned. Surely death should be better than this? Draco had always thought that when you died, just your consciousness remained. Or maybe you went to some better place where you got to trade in your failing, mortal body for one that was immortal. But he still had his same dilapidated frame.

If this was death, then he'd been cheated.

Draco pushed himself up into a sitting position. Panting at the effort. The walls of the room were a sky blue color with a dark mahogany trim. He looked down at the bed he was laying in. The heavy wool blanket covering him was a soft grey. Against the wall opposite him was a tall wardrobe. A bookcase was against the wall to his left. It was filled top to bottom with books of various types. In the right corner of the room was a large sitting chair, his clothing was folded neatly in it's seat.

Draco pushed the blankets back and scooted to the edge of the bed. He planted his feet firmly on the floor and heaven himself up, holding onto the bedpost for balance. He focused on putting one foot in front of the other, slowly making his was towards the chair.

Putting his clothes on had been a struggle, but eventually Draco was able to manage. He opened his bedroom door and stepped out into the hall. The walls were mostly bare, other than the occasional painting hanging on them. When Draco reached a set of stairs he paused. Unsure if he would be able to make it down them. A soft melody floated up the his ears. Draco gripped the railing and carefully picked his way down the steps, following the sweet music. Once he reached the bottom platform he rounded the corner and found himself in a small kitchen. His eyes landed on a female figure, and his first thought was that she wan an angel.

Her dark, waist length hair tumbled down her back in messy curls. The sun shone down on her through the window, illuminating her silhouette like a golden aura. She swayed softly to the music that was drifting around the room. There was something familiar about her that Draco couldn't quite put his finger on. He watched as she hummed quietly to herself. He saw that she was standing in front of a sink, hand washing dishes. Draco furrowed his brows. Surely an angel wouldn't have to hand wash dishes like a muggle. Draco studied the girl closer. There was definitely something familiar with her. Suddenly the realization hit him like a ton of bricks. He gasped and stumbled back against the wall.

 _Granger!_

Hermione dropped her dish back into the soapy water at the sound of his gasp and spun around, her hand on her chest. The two stared at each other for a moment. Both unsure of what to do or say. It was Granger that made the first move.

"Draco," She said, trying to sound calm. Her voice shook slightly. "It's- im glad you're awake. I was beginning to worry-"

"Granger. What the fuck?"

"Draco-"

Do you _live_ here?"

Hermione stared at him in confusion before answering with a definitive "yes."

Draco looked around the kitchen again.

"I don't- why aren't we in school?"

Hermione's eyes widened with concern. She quickly composed herself and took a deep breath.

"Draco," she said slowly "how old are you?" Draco furrowed his brow. How could she not know? They were in the same year.

"What kind of question is that? I'm seventeen. We're both seventeen. Jesus, Granger, I knew mudbloods were thick but I thought you could at least _count-"_

Draco," she interrupted him "are you hungry? Why don't you sit down. I have chicken noodle soup on the stove. Sit down, and we can talk." She turned around and began pulling pulling dishes out of the cabinets above her. Draco was about to tell her that he didn't want any of her filthy mudblood soup, but a sharp pain shot through his stomach, suddenly he realized that his hunger was ravenous.

Draco clenched his jaw and sat down. Cursing himself for letting his hunger overpower his pride.

Hermione placed a steaming bowl of soup down in front of him, and Draco had to summon all of his strength to keep from slurping the whole thing down in one gulp. No, his mother raised him with better table manners than that. Hermione sat across from him and studied him intently. She opened her mouth, then closed it. Then opened it again before finally asking "Draco, what is the last thing you remember?"

Draco furrowed his brow.

"I remember... I remember Malfoy Manor. I remember when those snatchers caught you and Weasel and Potter. I remember Bellatrix tourturing you, and I remember that damned house elf helping you escape. I remember the Dark Lord coming. He gave me the _crucio_ of my life for letting Potter escape- why the fuck are you looking at me like that?" Hermione was looking at Draco with big, teary eyes. Her bottom lip trembled. She blinked rapidly and took a deep breath.

"Draco... that was three and a half years ago." Draco froze. Not daring to breath. Granger was crazy. Actually crazy. Clearly being on the run had fucked her mind.

"No, Granger, that was a week ago at best."

Hermione slowly shook her head and pulled up the sleeve on her jumped. Revealing an old, scarred over wound on her forearm. The word ' _mudblood'_ showed white against her olive skin.

Draco stared at it.

"That's- you obviously healed it with potions, Granger." He said definitIvely. Hermione shook her head.

"Draco, you and I both know even the strongest potions couldn't heal a would that severe, that fast."

Draco shook his head. "You're clever, I'm sure you figured out a concoction-" suddenly Hermione stood from the table and marched over to the counter. She snatched the newspaper off of it and slapped it down next to his bowl of soup and pointed at the date.

October 25, 2000.

Draco stared at the numbers. It wasn't possible. This whole situation wasn't possible.

Hermione sat back down in her seat and stared at Draco, her chin rested on her folded hands. Draco's stomach snarled again.

"It has been three years since the Battle at Hogwarts-"

"Wait, wait, wait," interrupted Draco. Waving his hands frantically in the air. " _The Battle at Hogwarts?"_ He said exasperated. Hermione only nodded. Draco looked back down at the newspaper. Finally he read the headline under the date.

' _Lord Voldemort declares sterilization of all mudbloods."_

"Lord Voldemort _declares?!"_ He yelled. "Voldemort is still... but you said there was a battle... but Potter..." Draco trailed off. Breathing fast.

"Harry lost." Hermione said softly. She still hadn't taken her eyes off of Draco.

"Potter's dead." It wasn't a question.

"Not dead," replied Hermione. "but he is missing. He's been missing for three years."

Draco furrowed his brow. Potter was missing? Granger wasn't with him?

"Where's Weasel?" He asked. Hermione flinched at the mention of Ron.

"He's... well, he's around." Hermione glanced sideways and bit her lip. So Potter was off all on his own, was he? And Weasley was clearly a sore subject. As much as Draco wanted to push her on the subject of Weasley, he decided there were more important things at hand

"Give me your wand. I need to send a message to my mother. Maybe she can fill in the gaps since you're clearly not going to be much help."

Hermione stared at Draco, her face bore a sense of pity and dread.

"I can't, Draco. Your mother- both of your parents- they're dead."

Draco stared at her, his eyes searching her face. Surely this was some kind of horrific nightmare. Or perhaps it was some sort of new form of torture that Voldemort had invented. Stick you in a room with the person you hated the most and make them tell you the worst news you could possibly hear. That sounded like something the sick bastard would do.

"Don't." He said, squeezing his eyes shut.

 _Wake up_ he thought desperately to himself. _Wake up, wake up, WAKE THE FUCK UP!_

Draco's eyes flew open.

"I'll kill you." He snarled. Whipping his bowl of soup off the table. It shattered to the floor with a crash. Soup splattered the tile and bottom cabinets. Hermione raised from the table, alarmed.

"I'll kill you, you mudblood _bitch!"_

He lunged at her across the table. Hermione flew out of the room, Draco hot on her heels. She spun around to face him. Her wand pointed at his throat. Draco leaned in until the tip singed a hole in his skin.

" _Do It!"_ He screamed at her. Tears welled up in Hermione's eyes.

" _DO IT!"_ He screamed again " _DO IT, Granger, or I'll tear you apart!"_

" _Petrificus Totalus!"_ Came a voice behind him. Draco's back suddenly went rigid, his jaw slammed shut, and he fell backwards onto the floor.

A girl stepped over his stiff body. His eyes followed her.

"Why didn't you lock him up? He could have killed you, Hermione!" Draco recognized the voice of Lavender Brown.

"I-I couldn't! He doesn't know, Lavender!" Came Hermione's hysterical voice. She was just out of Draco's line of sight.

"What do you mean he doesn't know?" Lavender asked.

"I mean he doesn't _know,_ Lav! He remembers absolutely nothing from the last three years. The last thing he remembered is when Harry, Ron and I got captured by those Snatchers and got taken to his manner!"

"So, you mean to tell me that he's been walking around for _three years_ in muggle London, with no memory about anything?"

 _Muggle London?_ Draco thought to himself. _How the fuck did I get to muggle fucking London?_

There were a few moments of silence.

"Yes. That's what I'm telling you." Hermione finally said.

Suddenly Lavender's face appeared above Draco. Her eyes alight with firey anger.

"How the _fuck,"_ she started "did you manage to go missing for _three years_ in muggle London with absolutely no memory?"

Missing? For three years?

It was then that Draco realized that he was utterly and completely alone in the world. A world ruled by Voldemort.

 ** _*A/N_**

 ** _Ahhh!! So many questions and no answers._**

 ** _I just had to add the part from the movie where Bellatrix carved 'mudblood' on Hermione's arm. It's just so wicked._**

 ** _Anyways I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!_**

 ** _Much love,_**

 ** _Caffeinatedkiss.i_**


	3. Chicken Noodle Strikes Again

Hermione looked down at Draco's still body. She walked over and crouched down by his head. Draco's stormy grey eyes bored into hers. Hermione swallowed and took a deep breath.

"Lavender is going to remove the body bind curse," she said and quickly held her hand up at Lavender's sound of protest, "and we're going to talk about this. All of it. I don't like using this curse on you, Draco, but if you try to attack me again, Lavender will not hesitate to curse you a second time." Hermione took a deep breath, stood up and nodded at Lavender, who clenched her jaw, clearly unhappy about removing the curse, but she did anyway.

Draco carefully pulled himself up into a sitting position. He glared murderously at Hermione.

"Right." She said once he had gotten to his feet. "I'm going to get you some more soup, I know you're starving. Please, make your way over to the sofa. I'll be right back." Hermione darted out of the living room and back into the kitchen. With shaking hands she pulled out her wand and cleaned up the mess on the floor. Then she grabbed a new bowl and ladled some more soup into it.

When she got back into the living room Draco was sitting on the sofa. Lavender was sitting across from him in an armchair. Her wand was pointed at him in a threatening manner. Hermione bit her lip and gently set the bowl on the coffee table in front of Draco and sat down in an armchair next to Lavender

After a few beats she took a deep breath. "If you have any questions, I promise to answer them to the best of my abilities, but only if you eat something." Hermione said. Draco continued to glare at her, but he picked up the spoon from the bowl and took a sip of soup. Hermione felt herself relax. There were a few moments of quiet as Draco hungrily slurped down the hot soup. Hermione didn't dare say a word. Draco needed to mull over what she had told him earlier. Hermione closed her eyes. She knew what it felt like to lose your parents. Was it worse if they were dead, or was is worse if they were alive, happily living in Australia, with no memory of the daughter they had raised?

"Granger, why the fuck are you crying again?" Draco's sharp voice cut across Hermione's thoughts like a knife. She opened her eyes and sniffed, wiping her nose on her jumper.

"I was just thinking of something sad." She said, her voice raspy. Draco stared her down.

"Well, stop. I'm getting sick of it." He snapped. "The soup was shit, by the way." He added, shoving the empty bowl away from him. Hermione snorted and rolled her eyes. It was Molly Weasley's recipe, and she was just about the best cook Hermione knew.

"Don't talk to her like that, Malfoy. She's the reason you have food in your belly and a warm bed to sleep in." Said Lavender, her voice deadly calm. Draco snorted and leaned forward towards Lavender.

"I didn't ask her to bring me here, Brown."

"Yeah? Well you would have fucking froze out on the street of Hermione hadn't brought you home-" Lavender started defensively, but Draco cut her off.

"I was on the street?" He asked in disbelief.

"Yeah, and you were pissed off your arse, too." Said Hermione. Draco rounded on her, obviously uncomfortable with the two on one treatment he was receiving.

"But I still didn't fucking ask you to bring me here! I was fine-"

"Oh, Jesus Christ, Draco! You can't even remember the last three years! You were not fine! Have you looked at yourself in the mirror?" Hermione yelled. She had expected this reaction from Draco, but that didn't mean his words didn't hurt her. It was a huge risk taking him in.

Draco furrowed his brow.

"What the fuck is that supposed to mean, Granger?" Draco tried to spring gracefully out of his seat, but stumbled sideways and caught himself on the side table. Hermione clasped her hands in her lap to keep from jumping up to steady him. She knew he would cuss her out or possibly hit her for such a move.

"Where the fuck is the bathroom in this shithole?" He demanded.

"Down the hall, first door on your left." Hermione responded. She watched Draco carefully make his way down the hall and into the bathroom. He didn't emerge for several minutes, and when he finally did, he somehow looked even more defeated than he had before. He still had his godawful mouth, but gone was the spiteful, energetic youth Hermione had gone to school with. She tried not to wear the pity she felt for Draco on her face. Draco straightened his back and tried to stand tall.

"Got a shower and a razor I could use?" He asked.

Hermione nodded and told him the way to the upstairs bathroom. She and Lavender moved to the dining room table. Hermione thought of the look on Draco's face as Lavender worked over the muggle coffee maker they kept in the kitchen. A part of her hoped Draco would agree to stay on his own without force, at least until they managed to figure out where he had been the last three years, and how he ended up in muggle London, but she knew he wouldn't. Lavender handed Hermione a hot cup of coffee and a pitcher of flavored creamer. Hermione added a bit to her coffee and inhaled it. Letting the smell of vanilla and cinnamon travel through her sinuses and engulf her in its warmth. Lavender sat down opposite Hermione, her blue eyes very serious.

"We can't let him leave, 'Mione. He knows where we live, that we're in hiding. He could have been planted in that alleyway."

"I know." Hermione said, looking down into her coffee. "We'll have to cast charms around the house to keep him from leaving. It'll be a fight for sure." She took another sip of her coffee.

"We could always drug him with a potion if he won't cooperate-"

"Like hell you will!" Came an angry voice from the doorway. Lavender and Hermione spun around to see Draco standing there. His arms crossed and his face set in determination.

"You will not drug me, or contain me like some criminal-"

"Not to burst your bubble, Malfoy, but you are a criminal!" Yelled Lavender, rising from her seat and pulling out her wand. "That filthy Mark on your arm proves it!"

Hermione rose out of her seat and stood between the two, holding her hands out to both of them.

"Guys, I'm sure we can talk about this calmly-"

"Like hell we will, mudblood!" Draco seethed.

"Don't call her that!" Roared Lavender "If anyone here has filthy blood it's you, Malfoy! Parading around like the world fucking world owes you something! Now sit down, and shut up or I'll set you on fire!" Sparks flew out of the tip of Lavenders wand as the said those last words, adding to the threat.

Draco huffed and threw himself down in one of the dining room chairs. He glared at Lavender with a look of pure hatred.

"Get me some coffee!" He barked in Hermione's direction. She bit her lip.

"Er, Draco, I'm not sure coffee would be beneficial to you in your erm... state. I have some herbal tea you might-"

"I said coffee! Mudblood bi-"

"That's enough!" Screamed Hermione, slamming her hands down hard on the table. Draco jumped at the sudden explosion.

"I risked a lot, _a lo_ t, bringing you here, Malfoy! You will not call me 'mudblood bitch' in my own home! You will eat and drink whatever I give you because _this is my home_!" She finished, breathing heavily. The look on her face dared Draco to insult her again.

"So it's 'Malfoy' now, is it?" He said, leaning back in his chair and sniggering.

Hermione took a deep breath before sitting back down in her own chair. Draco's hair was still long and unkempt, but it was clean, back to its original ashy blonde color. He had shaved his face. Hermione noticed that he had a busted lip, and that there was a sizeable bruise under his jaw that was once covered by an abundance of grimy facial hair. His skin was stretched tight over his cheekbones, but they had some color back in them thanks to the soup.

"Right." Said Hermione after Lavender had sat back down. "Draco, you can stay in the spare room for the time being, and you can use the spare bathroom. I have the master suite, so Lavender can share my bathroom with me-"

"What are we then? Fucking roommates?" Sneered Draco.

"For now, yes. We can't let you leave, lest Voldemort is somehow using you to spy on us-"

"I'm not a fucking spy." Grumbled Draco.

"Need I remind you, Malfoy, that you can't remember the last three years? You could very well be an imperiused spy. It's a very real possibility that Voldemort is using you to gain the whereabouts of witches and wizards that are hiding in London." Said Lavender. Hermione noticed that she still had her hands clenched tightly around her wand, despite how calmly she said the words.

"You're staying here, Draco. You don't have a choice in this. We can't risk you exposing us. That's final."

Draco rolled his eyes.

"Guess I'll take that fucking _tea_ then, Granger."


	4. Wine About It

***A/N***

 **In this story, Remus survived the war.**

 **Hope you guys enjoy!**

The next few weeks proved to be easier than Hermione had expected. Draco mostly stayed up in his room. Only coming out when Hermione announced that she had made dinner. Usually he sulked through dinner, told her it had tasted like shit, and then stomped back up to Oh his room. Hermione found this somewhat amusing. It was a bit like having a moody teenager in the house.

Hermione had been dreading today since she and Ron had broken up. The monthly Order meeting. While she enjoyed the meetings, she wasn't keen on seeing Ron. This month's meeting was to take place at her house. Which meant she'd have to make sure Draco stayed quiet and out of sight. She hadn't told the other Order members about him yet, and she assumed it wouldn't go well if he waltzed into her kitchen in the middle of a meeting.

Hermione sorted through her kitchen and made a grocery list. After that was done, she headed upstairs and timidly knocked on Draco's bedroom door.

"What?" Came a sharp reply from the other side.

Hermione swallowed. "I'm going to the store, is there anything you would like me to pick up for you? Books? Or maybe some new clothes?"

"Fuck off, Granger." Came Draco's voice.

Hermione huffed. "Fine! Enjoy running around naked come laundry day!" She yelled. The door opened and Draco leaned against the frame.

"That might be fun." He said with a smirk.

Hermione wrinkled her nose and turned back down the hall. She headed into her bathroom and fashioned her platinum blonde wig onto her head. Then she popped in her blue contacts and studied herself in the mirror at all angles. She hated the wig, but everyone in the Order had agreed that she needed to keep her head of wild mahogany curls as hidden as possible, and given that a sleek, short, blonde wig was the complete opposite, it was the best choice. Hermione sighed and headed back down stairs to gather her wallet and shopping list.

After twenty minutes of walking around the store, Hermione finally decided that Shepherd's Pie was a good choice for dinner. She collected the items she needed and checked out. Not quite ready to go home yet, she decided to pick up some things for a Draco despite his attitude that morning. She headed into a muggle clothing store, After searching a few racks she found a nice emerald green sweater. The material felt warm and cozy against her skin, so she grabbed it. Next she sorted through a shelf of trousers before finally deciding on a pair of black ones. She grabbed a few packages of boxer briefs, blushing slightly as she did so, and a few pairs of warm knit socks.

Hermione had thought she was done shopping until a bookstore caught her eye. Sighing, she headed inside, unable to resist the comforting smell of paper pages. She wandered through the shelves, running her hands along the leather spines. She stopped at a particular shelf, the works of Tolkien. She thought of Draco. Did he like fiction? She picked a few out at random and added them to her book bag. Next she searched for works by Dickens. She had a feeling Draco might enjoy A Tale Of Two Cities.

Now that her bags were far too heavy to carry, Hermione finally decided to head home. She pulled a pair of dark shades out of her bag and put them on. Next she flipped up the collar on her trench coat and pulled it close to her face. The air outside was icy and damp. Hermione looked up at the grey sky and noted that it was the same color as Draco's eyes. Shaking the uneasy thought out of her head, the young Gryffindor headed towards a deserted alley to apparate home.

Hermione made her way quietly up the stairs to her apartment. She could feel Mrs. Detweiler's eyes watching her through the peephole behind her door. The old woman had been watching the hallway for hours on end every day to see if Draco had left yet. Hermione knew the old hag was just itching to report her and Lavender to the apartment manager for having a third roommate illegally. Hermione would have to find a way to obliviate her before she could.

As she entered her apartment, she heard the shower in Draco's bathroom running. She quickly made her way to his room and set his new books and folded clothes on his neatly made bed. She appreciated Draco's tidiness, despite his adolescent attitude. Once she was back downstairs, Hermione started preparing for dinner. She pulled open one of the kitchen drawers and retrieved her MP3 player and plugged it into the stereo system that sat in the corner of the kitchen. The sweet melody of Clair De Lune wrapped around the kitchen. Hermione began chopping vegetables as her mind wandered.

A cough behind her surprised her so much that she almost sliced part of her finger instead of the carrot she was working on. She whirled around found Draco in the doorway. Smugly she noted that he was wearing the green sweater she had bought him.

"Sod off, Granger. I only put it on because my other shirt has holes in it." He said grumpily. Hermione turned back around to hide the smile that was playing around her lips. She had been right. It paired nicely with his ivory skin and grey eyes. Draco had gained weight the last few weeks. His face had filled out more, as had his fiery personality. He was still a tosser, but Hermione quite liked having someone around that didn't treat her like she was made of glass. Lavender was always checking in on her, making sure she was eating and sleeping. Draco didn't know about her and Ron, and she was sure that if he did, he wouldn't care. He'd probably use it against her, and honestly, Hermione wasn't sure she'd mind.

"Granger, do I have your permission to drink coffee yet?" Came a drawl behind her. Hermione giggled.

"Yes, I suppose you're healthy enough to have some coffee, but be careful not to drink it too fast-"

"Fuck, Granger, I know." Draco snapped.

"Mugs are in the top left cabinet. The coffee should still be hot from this morning. The creamer is in the-"

"Creamer? Fuck your creamer, Granger."

Hermione found herself giggling again. Draco made his way across the kitchen and grabbed a mug out of the cabinet.

"Where the fuck is this music coming from?" He asked, looking around the room. Hermione smiled and pointed at the MP3 player. Draco picked it up and studied it.

"What is this device? I've never seen anything like it."

"It's a muggle invention. Pretty impressive, wouldn't you say?" She asked sweetly. Draco wrinkled his nose and set the MP3 player back on the counter. He didn't say anything, but Hermione knew he was impressed.

"There's going to be an Order meeting here tonight." She told him. Behind her she heard Draco pull a chair away from the table and sit down. She heard his coffee mug clink against the table and cringed but didn't say anything. She knew he hadn't used a coaster just to irk her.

"And I'm guessing they would be thrilled to see me?" He asked sarcastically. Hermione shook her head.

"I doubt it." She replied with a giggle. Draco laughed and took a sip of his coffee.

"They won't be here for another three hours so you can either eat before they get here or after they leave. Once they are here you'll need to stay as quiet as possible. I picked up some books for you today while I was out, they should keep you entertained enough."

Draco rolled his eyes at her. "Yes, mother." He said. Hermione snorted and continued to chop vegetables.

"Will Weasley be coming?" He asked suddenly. Hermione stopped chopping in sheer surprise. After a few second she began again.

"Yes, all of the Weasleys will be coming." She said carefully.

"You know which one I'm talking about, Granger." He said, his voice was filled with malice Hermione clenched her jaw. She had a feeling she knew where this conversation was headed.

"Yes, Draco, I'd imagine Ronald will be here. He is part of the Order, after all." She said. Ron was the last person she wanted to talk about with Draco.

"So it's 'Ronald' now, it is? Will he be staying the night? I'd like you to cast a silencing charm around my room if he is." She could hear the smirk on his face.

Hermione felt her cheeks redden. "No, Draco. I'd imagine he'll be going home after the meeting."

"So you two aren't shagging?" He asked.

Hermione wrinkled her nose "that's a rather crude thing to say." She said. She needed to shut this conversation down, now.

Draco laughing. "What can I say? I'm like a sixteen year old stuck in a twenty year old's body."

"Yes, that much is obvious." Retorted Hermione with a roll of her eyes.

Draco chuckled and took another sip of his coffee. Hermione dumped the raw ground lamb into a hot pan on the stove and began to stir it.

"So," said Draco finally "who dumped who?"

"Whom." Corrected Hermione.

"Fuck your 'whom"." Snapped Draco.

When Hermione didn't respond, Draco continued.

"It was Weasel, wasn't it?"

Hermione cleared her throat but didn't answer.

"Did he finally realize you're too smart for him? Or, maybe he got sick of your know-it-all attitude?" Draco wondered.

Hermione rolled her eyes but continued to stir the meat. She ignored Draco as he continued to pester her with questions. She knew he wanted to make her cry, and she was not about to give him the satisfaction.

Finally she turned to face him.

"The Order members will start arriving within the hour. Do you want to eat now, or after the meeting is over?" Draco grunted, shoved his chair back, and promptly left the room.

"Later it is, then." Mumbled Hermione at his retreating figure. He really was acting like a child. She supposed she couldn't expect any different from him, given that he had essentially skipped the last three years of his life. No more than fifteen minutes later she heard the doorbell ring. She paused her MP3 player and hurried to the front door and took a deep breath before opening it, hoping she wouldn't come face to face with Ron.

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief when she opened the door and was met by Professor McGonagall, who gave her a knowing smile and stepped into her flat. Hermione was about to close her door and then decided that it would be best to leave it open. She stopped when she saw McGonagall inspecting the half drunk coffee that was sitting on the table.

"A little late for you to be drinking coffee, Ms. Granger," She said, "and no coaster?" She asked, arching an eyebrow at Hermione.

"Oh, well, I-I just didn't think about it, Professor. I haven't been sleeping much recently..." Hermione stammered. She mentally kicked herself for not cleaning up Draco's coffee before answering the door. McGonagall studied her for a moment longer before finally saying "well, Ms. Granger, I would be happy to provide a sleeping draught for you. Your shepherd's pie smells delicious." Hermione relaxed and began to set the table. She picked up the now cold mug of coffee and dumped it quickly down the drain, grateful that her old professor hadn't taken note of the fact that the coffee was black, and that she, Hermione, never drank black coffee.

More Order members began to show up, and at last Hermione spotted Ron. He stood uncomfortably in the corner of her living room, looking everywhere but at her. Hermione busied herself by talking with Ginny. Soon enough it was time for the meeting to start. Hermione gratefully made her way into her kitchen and took a seat at the table. She looked around her at the remaining members of the Order. It still hurt her heart to see all of the empty seats that were once filled with warriors.

Remus sat across from her. Their eyes met and she knew he was feeling the same thing. He had lost his wife, Tonks, during the battle. Since then he had never been quite the same. His son, Teddy, was the light of his life, of course, but Hermione knew it pained him to leave his son with his grandmother for the week following the full moon. Professor McGonagall shuffled the papers in front of her and cleared her throat. Everyone gave her their full attention.

"Voldemort has come out to speak about the act of sterilizing all muggle borns. He's gained a lot of support. I expect he has already sent out Death Eaters on this matter. He knows that it is impossible to eradicate muggle-borns completely, so he is going to push mandatory sterilization along with the registry. Of course, this only furthers his visions of having muggles and muggle-borns viewed and treated like property."

Hermione felt a sickening feeling growing in the pit of her stomach.

"We have already discussed this matter in previous meetings, and the plan has not changed. All muggle borns in the Order are to stay home as much as possible, and only go out into public when absolutely necessary and well disguised. Those of us with an income will continue to support you." Hermione sank into her chair. She was one of the few muggle borns in the Order, the others being Dean Thomas and Dennis Creevey, both of which were in hiding somewhere in Scotland, Hermione didn't know their exact whereabouts. She hated being trapped in her flat with no opportunity to help in the war. It was all about her protection.

"We have more... Interesting matters to attend to." Said McGonagall. "There have been rumors that Draco Malfoy has been spotted in the area." Hermione's head snapped to attention at the mention of Draco.

"Spotted in the area? Recently?" Asked Ron in confusion. Hermione felt her stomach clench at the sound of his voice. She forced herself to ignore it.

"That can't be right. He's dead." Said George.

"That's not necessarily true." Said McGonagall. "He was assumed dead. No one ever found a body." A murmur broke out around the table.

"If it really was him-"

"Then it's possible that-"

"Harry." Said Ginny. Everyone stopped talking at once. All heads turned toward the redhead Gryffindor sitting in the corner. Ginny rarely spoke, especially about Harry. The war had left her with scars deeper than anyone could truly understand. Harry had proposed to her just minutes before he had walked into the Forbidden Forest and given himself up to Voldemort. No one knew why he made this decision. Most thought it was because he wanted one last happy thought to hold onto as he faced his death. Regardless of his reasoning, for one fleeting hour, it looked like they would win. Harry and Voldemort had faced off. Voldemort used Avada Kedavra. Harry had used Expelliarmus. A great explosion had erupted, but when the smoke had cleared, only Voldemort remained. Chaos broke out after that. Members of the Order had been forced to scatter to safety.

No one recovered well. Three years later many of them still woke up screaming from their nightmares. Many of them still gasped when they saw a boy with black hair or green eyes. Many of them still played out the war every day in their heads.

None of them as much as Ginny Weasley.

"Harry could still be out there." She said, looking around the room with wide eyes.

"If Malfoy made it out, then Harry-Harry..." she trailed off. Her eyes became unfocused and she was lost in her mind. Molly stood from the table and gently guided her daughter out of the room. Ginny was tough, but she had been young. Young and in love. She was a fighter, and everyone knew that was the only reason she was still alive.

After several moments of awkward silence, McGonagall finally called the meeting to an end. Everyone left the room quickly and quietly. Hermione forced a fake smile into her face and wished everyone a safe trip home. Ron had managed to slip out undetected and Hermione couldn't decide if she was relieved or disappointed. Finally she ushered the last person out of her flat. She closed the door and locked it behind her. Absentmindedly she scooped her hair up and piled it into a knot on top of her head. She wandered into the kitchen and poured herself a glass of red wine. She looked around at the mess of plates, but decided she'd worry about them tomorrow.

"Didn't take you for a red wine kind of girl, Granger." Said a drawling voice behind her. Hermione turned and saw Draco standing in the doorway.

"Would you like a glass?" She offered. Draco shrugged and Hermione took it as a 'yes'. She poured another glass and handed it to Draco. He took a sip and hummed in approval. "Pinot Noir" he mused, swirling his glass.

"I may take creamer in my coffee, Malfoy, but I can appreciate a good red wine." Hermione said.

Draco eyed her and took another sip of his wine.

"Weasley didn't deserve you, you know." He said finally.

Hermione's eyes flashed towards him. Her mouth gaped open in surprise. She quickly composed herself and gave him a quizzical look.

"That's..." she started, unsure of what word to say next "a nice thing to say, I guess?"

Draco shrugged. "Not nice, just true. I always thought he was a bit of a tosser. Hot headed and all of that." He said.

With each sip of wine, Draco's cruel demeanor diminished just a bit more. Soon he and Hermione were on their third glass of wine. Still talking shit about Ron, of course.

"I guess I did always feel like I couldn't actually talk to him, you know? Like when I was reading social justice cases, he didn't understand why I cared. I mean, in school I was trying to launch S.P.E.W. and Ron-"

"Oh fuck, I forgot about S.P.E.W.!" Draco chuckled. Hermione laughed too.

"Weasley didn't get it, right? I mean, I don't give a shit about house elves, but at least I could keep up." He added. Laughing more. His wine sloshed around in his glass. Spilling scarlet droplets onto the linoleum floor. Hermione giggled.

"I couldn't discuss the books I was reading with him, either. Because he doesn't read!" She half yelled. Draco roared with laughter.

"Jesus, Granger, could you have picked a worse match?" He asked, his eyes watering from laughter.

Hermione gave him a sheepish smile and shrugged. She felt lighter than she had in weeks. For the first time since Ron had ended things, Hermione didn't feel like she'd be crying herself to sleep.

 ***A/N* HUGE shoutout to Bellaruthless for betaing this for me. You are the real MPV!**

 **Let me know what you guys thought of this chapter!!**

 **Also, isn't drunk Draco adorable? I think he's adorable.**

 **Thank you for reading, everyone!**

 **Much love.**

 **-Caffeinatedkiss!**


	5. This Is Nott What We Had Planned

**_*A/N_ This chapter is darker than the previous ones.**

 **This story will have some dark themes here and there, but I will be sure to add content warnings whenever they might arise.**

 **CW: attempted suicide.**

 _Draco was sprinting through a forest. All around him trees were blurring past. Somewhere nearby, he could hear someone else running. Draco didn't dare look to_ _see who it was. His legs ached, his lungs burned, but he could hear his pursuers close behind him._

 _"You'll never escape, Malfoy! The Dark Lord knew you weren't dead! You can run for as long as you live, but he'll get you in the end! He always gets his way!" Screamed a ragged voice behind him._

 _Draco looked desperately to his left and was met by a pair of bright green eyes._

Draco's eyes flew open. He sat up, his heart pounding, and studied his surroundings. It took him a moment to remember that he was in Granger's spare bedroom, rather than a forest. He glanced down at his legs and saw that they were tangled in his sweat soaked bed sheets. Draco took several long, calming breaths before gingerly getting up from his bed. He made his water y across the small room and pulled a pair of trousers out of his dresser.

The smell of bacon and pancakes greeted Draco as he opened his bedroom door. His mouth watered. Granger was, annoyingly, an incredible cook. He may not be able to remember the last three years, but he somehow knew he hadn't eaten anything comparable to Granger's cooking in quite some time. His stomach growled and he set off down the staircase.

Granger was flipping a pancake when Draco rounded the corner into the kitchen. Her messy hair was piled up in a knot on top of her head. Draco watched her for a moment. Living with her was somehow not as bad as he has initially thought it would be. He begrudgingly realized that he actually liked being in her company, which was maddening in it's own way. He enjoyed their witty exchanges, and the sarcastic remarks she shot back at him. The war had changed her. Toughened her skin. Draco couldn't make her cry the way he had once been able to in school.

The fiery Gryffindor sensed his presence and turned to face him. Draco noted that she had a bit of batter on her right cheek. Her golden brown eyes sparked at him.

"Good morning, Draco. Pancakes?" Draco shrugged but didn't respond. The moment he started acting civil towards Granger, was the moment they might actually become friends. That was not something Draco wanted. He could not be friends with her, a mudblood. He had not been careful enough lately. He had allowed his loneliness to propel him towards Granger. She had a sunny personality, something he found hard to resist. She was amazingly easy to get along with. She laughed off his snide remarks and cheeky comments. Which simultaneously amused him and irritated the hell out of him.

Someone cleared their throat. Draco glanced around the room and noticed Brown sitting at the kitchen table. Her eyes were locked on him. Her mouth set in a hard frown. Draco clicked his tongue and continued to ignore her. Brown was rarely home. Sometimes he heard her late at night, sneaking in some random male suitor, but they were always gone by the morning.

Draco made his way across the kitchen and poured himself a cup of coffee. He sat down at the kitchen table, which Granger had already set with plates and a large pitcher of water, and loudly clanked the mug on the dark wood. He smirked when he saw Granger's shoulders tense at the sound. Draco knew she hated it when he didn't use a coaster. He sipped on the bitter drink. Careful to avoid Brown's eyes. She would have something smart to say, no doubt.

"Do you plan on ever thanking Hermione for letting you stay here?" Asked Brown in a sharp tone.

Draco rolled his shoulders. Granger may have mastered the art of not reacting to him, but Brown was almost too easy to get a rise out of.

"'Letting me stay' is an understatement, Brown. 'Forcing' or 'coercing' would be a better fit." He said in a drawling voice. Brown huffed angrily and Draco smirked again. He took a sip of his coffee as Granger sat down a heaping plate of pancakes on the table, followed by a large plate of fresh bacon. Draco's eyes flicked between the two Gryffindors. Something was off. Granger was happy, but he could sense a slight nervousness. Brown and Granger exchanged a glance.

"If you've got something to say, Granger, then say it." Said Draco impatiently. He pulled a pancake onto his plate and began to cut into it. He popped a piece into his mouth and suppressed a groan. Granger really could cook. She took a deep breath.

"Lavender thinks that it's time we tell the Order about you." She said nervously.

Draco looked her in the eye.

"And you don't agree with her because…"

"Because I think it's a bad idea. They might want to question you, and frankly, most of them are still grieving Dumbledore's death. They blame you, Draco. They wouldn't treat you fairly." She said, biting her lip. Draco thought about this.

"You think they'd try to harm me?" He asked.

"Hopefully." Interjected Brown grumpily. Draco clocked his tongue at her again. She curled her lip at him loathingly.

"Brown, if you despise me so much, why haven't you told them yourself?" He asked in a bored voice.

Brown opened her mouth to respond but was abruptly cut off by a knock at the front door. Granger froze mid bite. Her fork suspended in front of her face. There came a second knock and she jumped into action. Snatching up Draco's plate of barely touched pancakes, she flew to the trash can and dumped them. Then she turned and desperately gestured for Draco to go upstairs. Draco let out a deep sigh before ambling his way up the staircase. Knowing full well his slow pace was driving Granger crazy.

He crouched by the wall. Out of sight, but still within hearing range. He heard Granger open the door.

"Hello, Hermione, Lavender." Came a dreamy voice. Draco rolled his eyes.

 _Oh great, Loony Lovegood._ He thought sarcastically. She had been one of the few people to truly irritate him in school. He had despised the "golden trio", but something about Lovegood's absent sense of self awareness irked him immensely.

There was a jumble of voices downstairs. Draco strained to make them out. Suddenly they were a sharp scream. Draco sprang up and raced down the stairs. He rounded the corner and stopped dead in his tracks. He saw Brown pinning someone against the wall. Her wand pointedly threatening at their throat. Draco recognized his blue eyes and jet black hair. He was familiar, but looked older than Draco remembered.

" _Nott_?" Draco asked in disbelief.

" _Malfoy_?" Exclaimed Theo. He looked as shocked as Draco felt. "You- you're supposed to be dead!" He exclaimed.

Draco gave a sharp laugh. "Yeah? Well you're supposed to be- well, I don't actually know what you're supposed to be, but sure as fuck not shagging Loony Lovegood!" Draco yelled back. Theo balled his hands into fists.

"Don't call her that, Malfoy. She's not loony-"

"It's okay, Theo." Said Lovegood dreamily "and you can let him go, Lavender. He won't do any harm." She placed her hand delicately on Theo's arm. Draco looked at Granger, who was staring at Theo and Lovegood, the shock evident on her face.

"You have to turn him over to the Order, Luna. He could be dangerous-" Brown started to say, stepping away from Theo. Though she didn't lower her wand.

"I'm not some fucking stray she picked up off the street, Brown." Snarled Theo. "I sought her out, and besides, you're housing Draco fucking Malfoy in your flat!" The other boy yelled, pointing at Draco.

"It isn't my choice to have him here, Nott! It's her fault!" Brown yelled back, pointing her finger at Granger, who huffed angrily and started in on the other girl.

"We can't just turn over to the Order, Lavender! You know as well as I do that-"

"Hey!" Shrieked Lovegood. Draco clapped his hands over his ears. The blonde was always so subdued that it shocked everyone when she raised her voice.

"I brought Theo here to see if you lot would help him! The Order is relocating me in two days. They can't know that I've been hiding Theo in my flat. They'll incarcerate him! Now, are you going to help, or are you going to be a great bunch of hypocrites?" She finished with a deep breath and looked around the room. Granger looked at Brown pleadingly.

"No. No way, Hermione. We can't have two of them-"

" _Them_?" Demanded Draco, offended.

"Yes, Malfoy, _them_. Said Brown, visibly bristling. You and your lot served the Dark Lord, that's unforgivable and unredeemable-"

"Excuse me, everyone gets a chance to redeem themselves." Lovegood shot back. By this point, both witches were red in the face, and had raised their wands defensively. Draco smirked. There was nothing quite like a good catfight.

"Alright, enough!" Granger finally yelled, stepping between the two feuding girls.

"Let's take a vote." She said, trying to calm the tension in the room.

"Okay, but the two Death Eaters don't get the vote." Said Brown, crossing her arms.

"Excuse you, I live here, too. I get a vote. And that's former Death Eater, to you." Snapped Draco

"Do I get a vote?" Asked Theo.

"No!" Yelled Draco, Granger and Brown simultaneously.

"Either Theo gets a vote, or you don't get your potion this month, Lavender." Said Lovegood definitely. Brown clenched her jaw tightly. Meanwhile Granger stared at the blonde with a shocked and rather scared expression.

 _Potion?_ Draco thought. Was Brown pregnant or something?

"Luna, that's-" Granger started.

"Theo gets a vote." Lovegood said with aggressive determination.

Granger massaged the bridge of her nose in annoyance and took a deep breath.

"Fine. Theo gets to vote. But we don't vote until after you tell us how he ended up on your doorstep."

"Only if you tell me how Draco came to be your third roommate."

Nearly half an hour later they found out that Theo was in fact not shagging Lovegood. Rather, he had fled from Voldemort's cult, and has sought out Lovegood, knowing she was the only one that would even consider taking in a defective Death Eater. The two had become close friends, but nothing more.

"So you just… let him in without a second thought?" Accused Brown, whose mood had become fouler and fouler throughout Lovegood's story.

"Of course not." Lovegood said. "I used _Legilimency_ first." She said the words as if they were painfully obvious. Draco had to bite back a snicker. He had never seen the blonde so sassy before. Brown narrowed her eyes.

"Nott is exceptionally skilled at _Occlumency_ , Luna. Surely you know that?" Asked Granger gently.

Lovegood snorted. "Yes, of course I know that, Hermione. I'll have you know I am very skilled in the art of _Legilimency_ , and I don't appreciate your doubts! Check him out yourself if you don't trust me."

Granger opened her mouth to say something and then closed it again. Draco chewed on the inside of his cheek. He knew he didn't want to see any of the fucked up things that Theo had floating around in his head, but he also knew that he was very skilled in Legilimency, and that he would be able to see past any barrier Theo might put up. If Theo was a spy for Voldemort, he could turn in Granger, which would most likely mean Draco himself would end up back in the presence of that monster. Something told Draco that reuniting with him would be quite painful.

"I'll do it." Said Draco. Brown whipped her head towards him with a filthy look.

"Do you think we're fucking stupid, Malfoy?" She shot at him. Draco laughed and rolled his eyes.

"Any reason to make me look like the bad guy, eh, Brown? You'd be surprised to know that I'm very, very good at Legilimency. Theo wouldn't be able to hide anything from me."

"Yes, but you'd be able to hide things from us." She said through gritted teeth. The woman sure did have a temper.

Draco opened his mouth to respond rather rudely but was cut off by Granger.

"I think we should let him." She said boldly, jutting her chin out in the most Gryffindor way. Draco smirked at her in amusement. One of the few things he could appreciate about Granger was that when she made a choice she stuck by it with a fierce determination. At some point in the last month and a half, she had decided to trust him the smallest amount. She had never explicitly told him this, but Draco noticed it in little ways. Like when she'd turn her back on him, and Draco could see her shoulder stay relaxed rather than tensing up. And the way she stuck her wand into her messy bun instead of keeping it gripped tightly in her hand.

"Hermione-" Brown started to say.

"I've made my choice. Draco can do it. I don't want to see into Nott's fucked up head anyways." She said. Brown huffed in agitation and threw her hands up.

"Fine! We're going to get fucking slaughtered by these two, but who cares? Who fucking cares." She said angrily. Draco rolled his eyes. She was always so fucking dramatic.

Standing, he moved to the other side of the couch to sit across from Theo. He looked into the other boys' indigo eyes and mentally prodded the barrier in his head, pushing past it easily. Several scenes unfolded before him. The first was of a much younger Theo retching in one of the Hogwarts bathrooms. His black death eater robes were blacker in some places from fresh blood. If it was his own or someone else's, Draco did not know. His knuckles were shredded and bloody. Draco could see before him fragments of a shattered mirror he had obviously smashed with his fists.

 _"He-he lost" Theo sobbed. "God damnit, Potter!" He screamed. Draco watched as his hand flashed towards a piece of shattered mirror. He brought it up to his left wrist. Slashing it across his ivory skin, leaving a vivid red cut. Draco felt bile rise in his throat. Theo sank to the ground in crumpled heap. A smaller figure entered the frame. Parkinson. She pulled back the sleeve on Theo's arm and murmured an incantation to help the bleeding. Then she sat down and pulled Theo into her lap. Tears streaming silently down her face._

 _"You have to pull it together, Theo. He can't see you like this. He'll kill you." She whispered one a hoarse voice. Theo sniffed and nodded, wiping his face on Pansy's robes. She got up and pulled him with her._

The next memory Draco coaxed out was shorter. Theo receiving his Mark. He bit down on his knuckles so hard to keep from screaming that he broke the skin. Draco recognized the location as Malfoy Manor and felt a knot in his stomach.

The last one portrayed an older Theo. Self hatred and loathing radiated from him. He stood tall in his black robes. Knocking rapidly on a red door. It opened just a sliver and Draco could see one, sky blue eye peeking through. Theo pulled his wand out of his robes and handed it, butt first, to the person on the other side of the door. Her slender hand reached out and took it before opening the door wider and letting Theo inside.

Draco sucked in a deep breath and blinked rapidly. He looked around at the other people in Granger's living room and nodded.

"It's true." He said.

Brown rolled her eyes. "Of course you would say that-"

"Fuck off, Brown!" He yelled, balling his hands into fists. He felt a certain degree of protectiveness for the defected Death Eater. Draco has seen, felt, the pain the Theo carried with him. It was not something to be taken lightly.

Brown stared at him in surprise before huffing angrily and crossing her arms. She gave Granger a dirty look before saying "well, I guess we should take a vote then" in a snarky voice.

"All in favor of Theo staying here?" Granger asked. She, Draco, Lovegood and Theo all put their hands up. Brown made an angry sound in her throat before springing up from her seat on the sofa and storming up the stairs. Draco snickered when he heard her bedroom door slam behind her.

"Well," said Granger "I have cold pancakes in the kitchen. Would you like to stay for breakfast, Luna? I could tell you how Draco came to be here."

"Yes, I'd love that very much." Said Lovegood. Her dream like voice back in place.

Later that night Draco lay in his bed staring at the ceiling. Theo lay next to him. They had been forced to share a room due to no space.

"You wanted Potter to win the war?" He asked.

Next to him, Theo cleared his throat.

"I didn't think I did until he lost. I didn't have a choice in following Voldemort, you know. My dad beat me until I agreed."

"I remember that." Said Draco. Thanking of the day Theo had approached the Dark Lord asked to receive his Mark. His right eye had been badly swollen and bruised, his lip busted.

"What's the last thing you remember?" Asked Theo.

"I remember Granger being tortured at Malfoy Manor. I remember… being crucio'd for letting her and Potter and Weasel escape. And then it's like I opened my eyes and I was here." He said, furrowing his brow. Theo laughed.

"It's kind of funny, isn't it? You manage to escape Voldemort and then you end up imprisoned as Granger's roommate."

Draco laughed too.

"Yeah, it's a bit fucked up, isn't it?"

And with that, he fell asleep thinking about mahogany curls and amber eyes.

 ***A/N**

 **Thank you SO MUCH @Bellaruthless for beta reading this for me. You are a gift from the gods 3**


	6. To a Fresh Start

***A/N* this note is going to seem strange but it's relevant to the story. So please make sure you read the whole thing so you understand what is going on later.**

 **If you have played Old Maid, then you will understand the basic rules of Scabby Queen. However, there is a dark twist to this game. Once the game is over and one unlucky person is left with the queen. Now the loser must and accept their punishment - to be struck on the knuckles with the deck of cards into the skin cuts open and the knuckles bleed. Thus the game is infamously named "Scabby Queen"**

Hermione absentmindedly stirred creamer into her coffee as she chewed on the inside of her cheek. It had been seven days since Theodore Nott had taken up residency in her flat. She just knew that her neighbor, Mrs. Detweiler was probably developing and ulcer over her two new illegitimate roommates. She heard a door upstairs close and checked the clock on the wall. 7:00am sharp. Draco sauntered into the kitchen and poured himself a hot mug of coffee.

"Morning." Hermione said nonchalantly.

Draco nodded curtly and took a sip of his coffee. This is how the mornings had been for the last week. Draco, who was clearly struggling with sharing a room with his old housemate, had taking to sulking around the flat instead of in the privacy of his bedroom. Theo, however, was astonishingly chipper. Moments later he bounded into the kitchen, having somehow already showered and thrown on one of Draco's sweaters. One look at Draco told Hermione that the blond Slytherin was growing exponentially more annoyed with his new roommate.

"Morning all!" Theo said. He sniffed the air and made a sound of approval. "Are you baking?" He asked Hermione. She gave him a small smile and nodded. Draco merely rolled his eyes.

"Blueberry muffins." She said, tapping the side of her mug rhythmically.

"Ah-mazing." Theo said, drawing out the word. Hermione giggled. She quite liked having Theo around. He was like a sunny day compared to Draco's usual doom and gloom.

"Lav up yet?" He asked. Hermione shook her head.

"No, and I suggest you stop calling her that. She'll rip your head off." Hermione said.

The dark haired Slytherin laughed. "I'd like to see her try. She's feisty but I'm bigger. Besides, wouldn't a bit of silver ward her off?" Draco snorted into his coffee, Hermione clenched her jaw and gave Theo an enraged look.

"Fuck you, Nott." Came angry voice from the hallway. Lavender stormed into the kitchen, still in a t-shirt and pajama shorts, her hair pulled back into a messy braid.

"Relax, Brown, the full moons not 'till next week." Sneered Draco, rolling his eyes. Lavender spun around to face him, pulling her wand out of her pocket.

"Alright, enough. I said enough, Lavender!" Yelled Hermione, moving to block the two as sparks flew out of the end of Lavender's wand.

"Draco-" She said authoritatively, facing him. "Stop goading her." Draco smirked but didn't say anything.

"And I need to talk to you." She said, turning to Lavender. The other girl nodded curtly and turned on her heel. Hermione followed her up the stairs into her bedroom. She cast a silencing spell around the room before speaking.

"I owe you an apology-" she started to say

"You're damn right you do!" Yelled Lavender, red in the face. "How could you tell them that I'm a-" She choked on the last word.

Hermione felt tears sting behind her eyes. She and Lavender had been forced to be roommates by the Order. Housing was limited because the older Order members were supporting the others who couldn't work because of their blood status. It had been awkward living with Lavender at first. Somehow they had never quite managed to overcome their feud from sixth year. The two had eventually made amends and moved past it. Lavender had tried to hide what she was, but it hadn't taken Hermione long to figure it out when she disappeared during the full moon three months in a row.

"Lav, you don't need to be ashamed-"

"The hell I don't, Hermione!" Said Lavender. Fat, angry tears rolled down her cheeks. "You don't know what it's like. Sure, the Wolfsbane potion helps, but I still… I'm still a monster." She said shakily.

Hermione looked at her helplessly. At some point in the year after the Battle At Hogwarts, Fenrir Greyback had tracked Lavender down to "finish the job." She had gotten away, but not without being infected. She had dealt with it on her own the first year, hiking out to secluded places in the mountains to transform. She hadn't been rooming with Hermione back then. When Hermione figured out that her roommate was a werewolf, she had gone straight to McGonagall. Lavender had been furious, but when McGonagall told her that Luna knew how to brew the Wolfsbane potion, she had softened toward Hermione. That didn't mean Lavender didn't abhor herself because of what she was.

"You're not a monster! And I didn't have a choice but to tell Draco! Luna mentioned the potion right in front of him! You know he would have found out for himself, and it's better that he didn't walk in on you wolfing out!" Said Hermione desperately. Though, she did wish Draco would drop the werewolf jokes. They were rather tasteless.

Lavender clenched her jaw.

"I'm not going to tell you that you are right, because frankly, I'm mad at you and I don't want to give you the satisfaction." She said stiffly before sharply turning her back to Hermione.

"I'll just… er… leave you then." Hermione said awkwardly. She left the room, closing the door behind her.

Back in the kitchen, Hermione noticed that a fresh pan of blueberry muffins perched on the counter. Draco was nowhere to be seen. Hermione assumed he was upstairs in his bedroom, buried in one of the "filthy muggle books" she had gotten him. Theo was hand washing dishes and whistling to himself cheerfully.

"Did you take the muffins out of the oven?" She asked.

Theo turned to her and nodded, not breaking his whistle. Hermione recognized the tune as A Cauldron full of Hot, Strong Love.

She smiled. Theo really was a joy to have around.

"Thank you, Theo." She said warmly.

"No problem, 'Mione." He replied.

Hermione froze and stared at him. He turned back towards her with raised eyebrows.

"I- are we not at that stage in our friendship yet?" He asked nervously.

Hermione giggled. "No Theo, it's fine. Just caught my off guard. Erm, I'm going to start some laundry, would you mind bringing me your clothes?"

Theo nodded eagerly and dried his hands on a hand towel before bounding up the staircase. Hermione stared after him, her brown furrowed. The only two Death Eaters she had interacted with extensively had been Draco and Snape. Both of which were almost constantly brooding. It was hard to imagine anyone as cheerful as Theo, especially a Death Eater.

"Brown upstairs pouting?" Asked a drawling voice behind her. Hermione rolled her eyes and turned to face Draco.

"No, Draco, she isn't. She's trying to avoid you and your tasteless jokes." She snapped.

Draco chuckled. "Maybe she should grow thicker skin-"

"Oh? Is that so? You spend most of your time pouting around the house like some child." She shot at him. Draco scowled, further proving her point.

"I am not a child-"

"Then stop acting like one!" She yelled, throwing her hands up.

Draco snorted. "Fuck you, Granger." He said before storming up the staircase.

"Nice comeback!" She yelled after him. "And gather your dirty laundry for the wash!"

She heard his bedroom door slam and sighed before heading up the staircase to gather her own laundry. She huffed angrily. Playing peacemaker was not what she had signed up for, and Draco could at least try to be civil towards Lavender. Hermione didn't mind Draco's attitude towards herself, but Lavender had been through enough. She sighed. At least Theo wasn't like Draco. She wasn't sure she could handle two moody death eaters in her home.

Nearly four hours later rain pounded the windows as Hermione folded the now clean laundry. Theo entered the living room and sat next to her on the sofa.

"Want some help with this?" He asked, motioning to the large pile of unfolded laundry. Hermione smiled warmly at him and nodded.

There were a few moments of silence as the two folded together.

"What's this music?" Theo asked.

"Frank Sinatra." Hermione replied. Theo nodded, thoughtful for a moment.

"It's nice. Is he a muggle?"

"He was." Hermione said. "He's dead now."

Theo opened his mouth to say something and then closed it again.

"Muggles-" he began carefully after a few moments. "They're not the brainless imbeciles we're told they are, are they?"

Hermione smile. "No, Theo, they're not. They can be quite smart, actually."

Theo nodded. "Who's the smartest muggle to ever live?" He asked.

Hermione laughed. "I'm not sure of the smartest to ever live, but I can tell you a few that made history." She said.

Theo looked at her eagerly.

"Well, there's Thomas Edison, he invented the lightbulb, and Isaac Newton, he formulated the laws of motion. Albert Einstein discovered the law of the photoelectric effect. And that's only to name a few."

Theo chewed on the inside of his cheek, deep in thought.

There was a flash of lightning outside followed by a booming roll of thunder that made the lights flicker.

"Well, obviously muggle inventions have their flaws." Said Theo, scanning the ceiling.

Hermione rolled her eyes. "No invention is foolproof, Theo. Nature is more powerful than anything muggles or wizards could invent."

After nearly an hour, Theo and Hermione had successfully folded all of the clean laundry. They gathered it up in their arms and took it upstairs. Hermione sat her folded shirts nicely in her drawers before heading back downstairs to start dinner. Halfway down the staircase all the lights in the flat went out. Huffing in frustration, Hermione dug her wand out of her pocket.

"Lumos" she muttered. She made her way into the kitchen and dug out a lighter. She heard a door close upstairs. No doubt Draco would be down any moment that whine at her about the lights going out. She walked around the flat, lighting candles as she went.

"What the fuck, Granger?" Came a sharp voice. Hermione turned to face Draco, not bothering to lower her wand when he squinted at her over the blinding light it illuminated.

"The powers out, Draco. It happens."

Draco huffed. "Well, How long is it supposed to be like this?" He asked, motioning to the darkness around him.

"I don't know. Until it turns back on, I guess." She said with a shrug.

"So we're supposed to just sit around in the dark?" He asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Not if you let me get back to lighting these candles." She snapped. She spun in her heal and went back to lighting candles. "I have some more candles stored upstairs in the hallway closet if you want to help." She said over her shoulder. She turned in surprise when he agreed and made his way up the staircase

"Want a glass of wine?" She called after him.

"Sure!" Came his reply. Hermione furrowed her brow. Draco was surprisingly acting less… petulant.

Nearly fifteen minutes later Hermione, Draco, Theo and even Lavender were seated on the floor around the coffee table playing a game of Scabby Queen, each with a glass of wine in front of them. Theo and Draco both insisted on playing the traditional way.

As the bottle dwindled, the group became rowdier. Theo had taken to calling Lavender "Lav Lav", a name that caused Draco to roar with laughter. The four adults bore bloody knuckles from their rather competitive rounds of Scabby Queen, but the excessive amount of alcohol took care of any aching that might have been present. Hermione had to cast a silencing charm around the flat when Theo and Draco both broke out into the Hogwarts school song.

"'Mione!" Theo yelled. He waved around the now empty wine bottle. "The wine's all gone!"

"We need sustenance!" Cried Draco, throwing his arm around Theo's shoulders.

Both boys cheered and clapped when Hermione returned from the kitchen holding an uncorked bottle of wine triumphantly.

"Thank you, thank you!" She said with a bow.

Two glasses of wine later the four adults had settled tremendously. Lavender and Theo had eaten the entire plate of blueberry muffins Hermione had made that morning while Draco had his first civil conversation with the wild haired Gryffindor.

"It's just, you were always so clever, you know? All the teachers loved you, with the exception of Snape. You took care of yourself, you didn't need your father to pull strings or threaten anyone for you. I hated you for it, but I also admired you." He confessed, tossing back the rest of his wine.

Hermione bit her lip and thought about what he'd said.

"I wish I had something nice to say about you, Draco, but the truth is I really hated you in school."

She finally said. Draco nodded, deep in thought.

"Well, here's to a fresh start, Granger." He said, raising his empty glass. Hermione giggled and clinked hers against it.

"To a fresh start."

 **Humongous shout out to Bellaruthless and Slytherinxbadxgirl for beta reading this chapter.**

 **Please don't forget to review as I absolutely beam when you do!! Thank you all for reading 3**


	7. Cut the Bullshite

**A/N* first off, I want to give a HUGE thank you to those of you that have followed and reviewed since the beginning. I love each and every one of you!**

 **For those of you just now picking up my story; Welcome! I'm so honored that you've chosen my fic. 3**

 **I truly hope you enjoy this chapter.**

 _Draco looked around desperately. The stench of war flooded his nostrils. Dead and dying bodies lay around him. The static of dark magic crackled in the air. His eyes landed on her face._

 _His mother._

 _She was sprinting towards him, her father hot on her heels. She skidded to a stop in front of him and took his face in her hands. Tear tracks stained her dirty face._

 _"Draco, you have to go!" She cried. Draco shook his head._

 _"I can't leave you! We can figure this out! We can go into hiding! We can-" he started to argue. His mother shook her head desperately._

 _"We are out of time, Draco! It's too late for us. But you-you can still run. He will assume you're dead. Lost in the wreckage. Go to the half-giants shack, you'll find out what to do from there. And Draco, whatever you do, do not come back!"_

Draco groaned. His throat felt dry and scratchy, his head throbbed painfully and his stomach was very unsettled. Something tickled his nose and he smelled roses. Groggily he opened his eyes and was met by a mess of mahogany curls. He lifted his head in confusion and saw the sleeping face of Granger. His eyes traveled down and he saw his own arm draped over her waist. They were laying on the sitting room floor. He quickly pulled his arm back and sat up. He rubbed his aching head as he took on the scene around him. Candles, their wicks burned away completely, sat around the living room. Two empty wine bottles lay on the coffee table, surrounded by four empty wine glasses. He glanced up at the sofa and saw Theo. He had fallen asleep sitting upright and was snoring loudly. Lavender was asleep with her head in his lap.

"What…?" He looked down at himself and realized that he was missing his t-shirt.

Groaning again, Draco made his way to his feet and padded to the kitchen. He located the coffee grinds and added three scoops to the muggle coffee maker. The machine gurgled to life. Draco drummed his fingers rhythmically on the counter while it brewed. Vaguely he remembered the events of last night. He glanced down at the knuckles on his right hand. They were raw and aching.

He remembered drinking. A lot. He remembered laughing. His sore stomach muscles reminded him of that. They also reminded him that he hadn't laughed in a very long time. He heard a shuffling behind him. Draco turned around to see Granger heading towards him. She had coaxed her hair up into a messy knot on top of her head. Draco swallowed hard when he took in her appearance. At some point in the night she had taken off her bottoms and was wearing only his t-shirt. Merlin, she had nice legs.

"Morning." She said in a scratchy voice. Draco smirked.

"You look like shite." He said, turning that pour himself a cup of coffee.

"Gee, thanks." She mumbled sarcastically. She pulled a mug out of the cupboard and grabbed the pot of coffee from him, pouring some for herself.

"Say, Granger, are you aware that you aren't wearing trousers?" He asked, stepping back to admire her. Granger's eyes became wide and her face beet red. She gasped and looked down at herself in horror.

She turned and bolted from the kitchen.

"And I'd like my shirt back, if you don't mind!" He called after her before sniggering.

Theo and Brown both appeared in the doorway.

"What happened?" Asked Brown, rubbing her eyes. Draco sniggered again.

"Granger traipsed into the kitchen with no pants on."

"Oh shite." Said Brown. She turned on her heel and hurried up the staircase to check on Granger.

Theo yawned and stretched his arms high above his head.

"You look fresh as a daisy." Draco observed, taking a sip of his coffee. The bitter liquid coated his throat, effectively relieving that scratchy feeling. Theo shrugged.

"I don't get hangovers. Never have. Want an omelette?" He asked, making his way to the refrigerator and pulling out a carton of eggs.

"Uh, yeah, I guess." Said Draco.

Theo pulled a pan out of the bottom cabinet and set to work making breakfast.

"So, how did you learn how to cook?" Draco asked, inspecting the knobs on the muggle stove.

"Lav's been teaching me." Theo said. Draco's eyebrows lifted in surprise.

"Spending a lot of time with Brown, are we?" He asked smugly. Theo shrugged nonchalantly.

"Nah. I mostly hover annoyingly over her shoulder. She's basically teaching me by force." He said with a smirk.

Several minutes later Brown appeared in the kitchen followed by Granger who was careful to avoid eye contact with Draco. She cleared her throat nervously and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Draco smirked at her again. Watching Granger squirm was always something he enjoyed.

"You found your pants I see." He said, motioning towards her legs. Granger blushed violently and turned away from him.

"The only reason she didn't have pants on this morning was because you knocked her whole glass of wine into her lap, Malfoy." Snapped Brown "and then you offered her your t-shirt." When she caught the his look of confusion she continued "You don't remember? Surely you weren't that drunk. You only had three glasses of wine." She finished with a sneer.

"Fuck off, Brown." Draco spat. Brown smirked at him, making him want to throw his mug of hot coffee at her stupid head.

"Lav and I have an Order meeting to attend this afternoon. It will probably run well into the evening. There is leftover stew on the refrigerator. It should be enough for you both." Said Granger, still not looking at him.

"Great. I'm going upstairs and sleeping off this hangover." Said Draco. "And you-" he said, pointing a finger at Theo "for the love of Salazar, stay down here so that I can get some sodding sleep. I don't want to wake up to you spooning me again."

Theo shrugged. "I'm a cuddler, mate. It's not my fault."

"Again?!" Asked Brown in an exasperated tone. "Now, really, Malfoy? Poor Theo just wants to snuggle." Behind her, Draco could see the back of Granger's shoulder shaking with silent laughter. Draco thumbed his nose at the stupid Gryffindor and clinked his mug on the table. He spun on his heel and stalked out of the kitchen.

"Consider that payback for your tasteless werewolf jokes!" She called after him.

Draco stalked up the stairs and slammed his bedroom door, wishing for the millionth time that he had a wand to lock it. He flopped backwards onto the full sized bed and let out a deep sigh. He searched his brain in an attempt to recall the events of last night. He remembered making a toast with Granger. He remembered… touching her hair? Draco's eyes fluttered shut.

 _Granger was standing in front of him wearing only his cotton t-shirt. Her wild hair hung around her face like a mahogany mane. Draco's mouth watered as he took in the state of her. His eyes traveled up her bare legs. Sweet Merling, she was stunning. He took a tentative step towards her and watched as her pupils dilated with desire_.

 _Draco closed the distance between them easily. Before he could react, Granger had hooked her fingers into his belt loops and yanked him closer. Her mouth claimed his and her hands traveled hungrily up his sides before clawing into his back. Draco growled low in his throat and tangled his fingers into her curls. He ground his hips against her and groaned. His mouth clashed against hers and they tumbled backwards into a bed that hadn't been there seconds before_.

 _Granger smelled of roses and tasted like honey. Draco rolled over and pulled her on top of him. She sat up momentarily to pull the t-shirt over her head. Draco admired her naked chest as she sat above him. He reached up and palmed her breasts, earning him a throaty moan from her. She collapsed back down on top of him, claiming his mouth again. Draco's hands circled around her and he dragged his fingers down her back until he reached her backside. He kneaded her, making her squirm against him_.

 _He felt her, everywhere. He felt her wild curls tickling his chest, her honey laced breath drifted across his tongue._

 _"Hermione…" He murmured against her mouth. She caught his lip between her teeth and gently sucked it-_

Draco's eyes flew open and he bolted upright in his bed. He yelped when his erection bent uncomfortable. Laying back down, he rolled sideways and groaned into his pillow. What the fuck? A sex dream? About Granger? Sweet Salazar, he was losing his mind. He blamed last night. Too much wine was bound to fuck with your head.

Draco glanced up at the electric muggle clock that sat on his nightstand. Was is really 6pm? Merlin, he had been asleep for five hours! He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling. Willing himself to think about something- anything- that would ebb his raging hard on. The dream hadn't even been that graphic! Except maybe the part about how Granger's mouth tasted like honey. And the way her breasts had felt in his hands, firm and yet-

"Stop it!" He growled at himself. This was Granger he was thinking about! She wasn't attractive. Well, except maybe her legs. She had nice legs for sure.

No. She had normal legs. Not nice. Not bad. Just… normal. Draco sighed in frustration. He desperately needed to think of something other than Granger's anatomy. He thought about the sodding muggle book Granger had bought for him a few weeks ago. A Tale of Two Cities. He discovered that he quite liked it. For a muggle book, of course. It wasn't particularly riveting story, but it was fairly barbaric. Dickens was a decent writer, Draco supposed.

After a few minutes, Draco found the that stiffness between his legs had gone and he could comfortably move around. He pulled himself out of bed and opened the bedroom door, blinking rapidly at the bright light on the hallway. He could hear Theo downstairs singing obnoxiously to himself. Draco rolled his eyes. Theo was just so damn cheeky all the time.

Draco took a deep breath before entering the kitchen preparing himself for an interaction that was bound to be annoying. He rounded the corner and observed the scene before him. Theo, who had his back to Draco appeared to be cleaning.

"What are you doing?" He asked as Theo turned to face him. He was attempting to balance a large stack of dishes in his arms. A glass on the very top teetered dangerously on the edge, threatening to fall and shatter on the kitchen tiles.

"Trying to be helpful." Said Theo, eying the glass. "Hermione seemed stressed about the meeting, so I thought she'd appreciate some help around the house."

"And you thought breaking her glassware was the way to do that?" Draco asked as the glass fell to the floor and shattered into a hundred pieces.

"Well, it's a fuckton more that you've done isn't it?" Snapped Theo. Draco raised his eyebrows at the other boy's angry outburst.

"I'm sorry." Said Theo, shaking his head and setting the pile of dishes on the counter. "It's just- look mate, you're a real git. Hermione's stressed out all the time, and Lav's just having a rough time overall. Give them a break, alright?"

Draco thought back to the dream he'd had about Granger. Rage flooded through him. This place was really starting to fuck with his head, and he would be damned if Theo Nott thought he could tell him how to feel.

"You know what, Nott? Why don't you just fuck off?" Draco snapped. "Just because you're so goddamn cheerful about living with a blood traitor and a mudblood bitch doesn't mean I have to-" Draco was cut short when Theo's fist slammed into the left side of his jaw. He fell hard on the linoleum floor. The broken remains on the glass that had fallen stabbed into the palms of his hands. Blood spattered the white tiles.

Draco looked up to see Theo looming over him.

"Don't-" Theo spat angrily "ever call them those names again, Malfoy, or I swear to Salazar you'll get more than just a fist to the jaw."

Draco pulled himself to his feet and stepped towards Theo. Never had he wished so badly to crucio someone in his life. If only he had a fucking wand.

"You're lucky I don't have a wand, Nott-" he started to say. Both boy's heads snapped to the living room as the front door opened. Brown stepped through the door, followed by Granger.

"What in Godric's name!?" She gasped. Staring at Theo and Draco in horror. Draco glanced down at himself. His hands were stained red and blood was dripping to the floor from the gashes in his palms. Slowly he turned his palms over. A deep slice ran from his pinky finger to his thumb on his left hand, and several small cuts were scattered across his right palm. Granger sprinted over to him and gently took his hands in hers. She studies them closely.

"This will need stitches for sure." She said, indicating to his left hand.

Draco wrinkled his brow. "Stitches?" He asked "what are…"

"It's a muggle thing." Granger said impatiently. "Here- sit down." She pulled him towards the dining room table and gently pushed him down in one of the chairs.

"Lav, Theo, whoever, get my same rags and a needle and thread. There's a numbing potion on the cabinet." She said over her shoulder. Theo and Brown exchanged glances before hurrying out of the kitchen. "What happened?" She asked, looking up at Draco. He swallowed uncomfortable. His palms were throbbing, but dammit it felt nice to have Granger close to him like this. Draco wondered how long it had been since he'd had someone care for him like this. It was then that Draco realized that her eyes were puffy and red.

"Have you been crying?" He demanded. Granger bit her lip.

"That's not important right now." She said. "Draco, what happened?" She asked again.

"Theo dropped a glass on the floor and it broke. I slipped on it and cut up my hands. That's all." He mumbled. Looking away from her.

Granger eyed him speculatively.

"What?" He Snapped at her.

"Your jaw is swollen." She observed.

Draco huffed. "Theo punched me. It doesn't matter." He said quickly.

"why-"

"It doesn't matter!" He yelled at her.

"Don't yell at me, Draco!" She scolded, and then sighed, suddenly looking very tired. "Just, keep your hands face up on the table, okay? I'm going to get you a shot of firewhisky." She gently guided Draco's hands to the surface of the table and stood up. Draco stared down at his hands as she rummaged around the kitchen. He watched the blood pulse out of the gash on his left palm. For a fleeting moment he wondered if Granger's blood looked the same. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to squash the thought out of his mind.

"Does it sting?" Granger asked, mistaking the frustrated look on his face for one of pain. She sat a shot glass down in front of him. Draco took it and tossed it back, hoping the burning liquid would clear the slight fuzziness out of his head.

"Yeah." He said, panting slightly. He was beginning to feel a bit lightheaded.

He heard two pairs of feet enter the kitchen but didn't look up. He could feel his heart thudding heavily in his chest. He watched as Granger dropped a few drops of potion onto his palms. He hissed through his teeth when it hit his raw skin. The cuts burned like fire momentarily before numbing completely. Tiny white spots glided across his vision as Granger worked on his hands. He watched as she wiped the cuts clean and applied pressure to them. He saw a flash of something silver cut across his vision. He watched in fascination as a needle was stabbed into one side of the cut and then pulled through the other side. It gave an odd tugging sensation.

Draco heard voices around him, but they sounded muffled and far off.

"Granger…" He said, blinking his eyes rapidly against the growing back spots in his vision.

"Hermione… I don't feel… right…" He slurred, starting to feel scared now. He looked up desperately and was met by a pair of amber eyes.

Then everything went black.

 **Alright guys, I hope you enjoyed this update, and I hope you review as I LOVE reading your reviews!!**

 **Special thanks to Slytherinxbadxgirl for beta a reading.**


	8. I’ll Catch You

**_*A/N_**

 ** _Okay guys. I know it took me forever to update this story. I'm so sorry. It's been in the craziest month of my life. That's not even an exaggeration. One of my very best friends got married, another for engaged, I started a new job, bought a house, and my husband and I just found out I'm pregnant with our first child._**

 ** _Let me tell you, that last one was a total surprise and completely unplanned, but we're psyched. My brain is so fried you guys. But I loved writing this chapter._**

 ** _I've been wanting to write a chapter from Theo's POV for awhile now so I really hope you guys enjoy._**

 ** _Also, I usually don't do this, but I highly recommend you listen to Say You Won't Let Go by James Arthur during this chapter, especially the last half. It's based totally off of that song and was on repeat while I wrote it._**

 ** _Oh yeah, and let my assure you- THE SMUT IS COMING. I know it's like 99% fluff right now, but trust me, I've got some dirty stuff jotted down in my notes._**

 ** _So, now that I've said all I've needed to say, I hope you enjoy this chapter!_**

Theo realized what was happening before anyone else did. His head snapped to attention where he heard Draco utter Hermione's name. He saw the blonde sway towards the floor. Theo bounded towards him, closing the space between them in two strides and caught Draco before he slumber to the kitchen floor. He looked up at Hermione desperately for some direction. The curly haired witch glanced up momentarily before going back to her work.

"Keep him steady, Theo, I am almost done." She instructed mechanically. Theo propped the unconscious Draco back into his chair and held his shoulders upright.

"What's happened to him?" He asked desperately.

"I spiked his firewhisky. He's still weak, too weak to lose this much blood and not be affected by it." Hermione said, stitching up the last of Draco's gash. "It wasn't enough to knock him out this hard, though, so he must have already been lightheaded, as I presumed."

Theo furrowed his brow at the working witch.

"Why are you being so… weird?" He asked her hesitantly. Hermione picked up a washcloth and dabbed some earthy smelling potion into it. She cleaned Draco's bloodied hands and arms with it.

"Ron and Harry got hurt all the time when we were on the run." She said without looking up at Theo. "I learned to keep a cool head. One time, Ron got splinched pretty bad. Lost a chunk of his chest and arm. It was far more gruesome than this. If I had lost my head, he very well may have bled out. Blood and wounds don't affect me as much anymore." She gently cleaned up her workspace and looked up to study Draco's unconscious features.

"We need to move him." She said, pulled her wand from behind her ear and raising it to Draco. She murmured a levitation charm and gently guided him through the kitchen and into the sofa in the living room. Theo and Lavender followed behind her.

"He'll sleep the potion off." Hermione said "I don't think we'll hear a peep from him until the morning."

She turned towards Theo and raised an eyebrow. "Now, I'd like to know what happened before Lavender and I walked through the door." She said, stowing her wand and putting her hands on her hips. Theo shook his head.

"Nothing. Draco said some stupid things. That all." He shrugged. Hoping that Hermione would simply drop the subject.

"What kind of 'stupid things'?" She asked, her eyebrow arching even more. Reminding Theo painfully of McGonagall when she did that. Theo took a deep breath.

"He… called you a mudblood, and Lav a blood traitor. I took care of-"

"I told you he wouldn't change." Said Lavender, glaring down at Draco. "We need to turn him in."

"We can't turn him in, Lavender! We've been through this. The Order could hurt him! You know how Moody is about Death Eaters. Even defective ones! His ways of gaining information aren't exactly kind-"

"And just why do you care about that, Hermione?" Lavender demanded.

"I just do, Lav. I care about Draco-" Hermione started to defend.

"He called you a mudblood!" Lavender screamed. "You clothe him, feed him, take care of his goddamn wounds and yet he will still uses that awful term!"

The two girls glared at each other for a moment.

"Fuck this. I'm out." Said Lavender through her teeth. She grabbed her jacket off of the coat hook on the wall and stormed out the door.

"Lav, wait! We aren't supposed to leave-" Hermione was abruptly cut off by the slam of the front door. Tears welled in her eyes and spilled over onto her cheeks as she stared at the door. Theo hesitantly walked over to her and pulled her to his chest before sinking into one of the armchairs.

"Why does this have to be so h-hard?" She asked through sobs. Theo sighed and squeezed her.

"I don't know, Hermione. Draco's well… he's a prat. Plain and simple. And Lavender… she cares about you. She's immensely protective of you. She loves you, fiercely. I think it hurts her to see Draco blatantly disrespect you the way he does. Frankly, I think she'd like to rip his head off." He said with a laugh. Hermione laughed too and nuzzled closer to him. It was odd, he though. Holding Hermione like this. It wasn't because he had romantic feelings. It was more like she was his little sister. He loved her, and he wanted to protect her.

Theo and Hermione sat like that for a few minutes before Theo spoke again.

"Why were you crying, you know, earlier? When you came home?" He asked. Hermione shook her bushy head.

"It was just Ron. He was pretty cozy at the meeting tonight with Hannah Abbott." She sniffed. Theo ground his teeth.

"Fucking wanker." He growled. Hermione shook her head again.

"It doesn't matter, and honestly, I shouldn't be surprised. Hannah will be quite disappointed if she ever gets him into bed." She said slyly. Theo raised his eyebrows and and pulled his head back to look at the snarky witch in his lap.

"Is that so?" He asked. Hermione blushed and giggled. "So what is it that's so disappointing?" He pried. Hermione sighed and untangled herself from his lap.

"Shouldn't have said that." She said, straightening her blouse. "It seems low to insult an ex. Even if it is a prat like Ron." She turned to leave. "I'm going to clean this mess up and then make some tea, would you like any?" She asked over her shoulder.

"Sure, and I'll come help." Theo said before pulling himself out of the armchair and following her.

After the glass and blood had been cleaned off the floor and table, Hermione and Theo settled down to drink their tea.

"So does he have a tiny knob?" Theo asked. Hermione snorted mid sip and quickly held the back of her hand under her nose to stop the steady stream of tea leaking out of it.

"Theo!" She scolded, swatting his arm. "I am not talking to you about Ron and his… appendages." She said awkwardly. Theo wagged his eyebrows at her.

"You know you want to, 'Mione. And you should! Shite talking helps the wounds." He tried to persuade. Hermione shook her head at him and Theo crossed his arms childishly. "You know what'll loosen you up? Some firewhisky!" He said, leaping from the table and bounding across the kitchen.

"Theodore- wait, what's your middle name?" Hermione asked to his back.

"Erm, Sileo." He said awkwardly over his shoulder.

"Oh, okay. Well, Theodore Sileo Nott, I am not drinking with you, and I am not talking about my sex life with you!" She told him. But Theo could already hear in her voice that she was letting her guard down. She needed this. He knew she did. Lavender had done a great job of taking care of her physical health, but Hermione needed to get angry. She needed to voice Weasley's flaws aloud.

"Toss it back." Theo said, setting down a shot of firewhisky in front of the Gryffindor. She jutted out her chin determinedly and tossed back the shot.

"Ick!" She said, shivering from the intense taste of the liquor. Theo took one himself and hummed in approval as it warmed his throat. He sat down across from the wild haired witch and poured another shot that he slid across the table to her. Hermione took it without hesitation and downed it in one gulp. He watched as small bits of color appeared high on her cheeks.

"So, Weasel." He said, trying to sound casual.

"He didn't have a small knob!" Hermione blurted out. She motion for Theo to pour her another round.

"So, did he kiss like a dead fish then?" He asked.

"Ha!" Hermione barked. Then she said "yeah, actually he did." After a moment.

"What else?" Theo asked.

"I was on top. Every time." She said with a hint of bitterness. Theo watched her closely. She wrinkled her nose and shook her head as if to dislodge the unpleasant memory. "He always commented about how Molly's cooking was better than mine." She said, her golden irises rising to meet Theo. He saw something in them, a spark that hadn't been there since he had gotten here.

"I imagine that upset you." He said, trying to keep the conversation going.

"It did!" She said angrily. "I tried and tried. Every night! I would thumb through cookbooks for hours trying to find something that would make him happy!" She said, taking a deep breath. "And you know what he would always say? 'Mum would have added garlic' or 'mum would have cooked it longer.'" She said in a poor mock of Weasley's voice. Theo felt his eye twitch. Hermione was incredible. She was brave, and thick skinned and damnit, she cared.

"Someone as spineless as Weasley never deserved you, you know." Theo said after a few moments. Hermione sighed and slumped back in her chair.

"People keep telling me that, but it doesn't change the fact that I miss him. He was…" She furrowed her brow, searching for the right word "comfortable." She finally said.

"'Comfortable' isn't love." Theo pointed out. Somehow he could sense that Hermione was done with this conversation.

"I think I'm going to call it a night, Theo." She said in a defeated voice. "Thanks for the liquor." Theo watched as she pushed away from the table and padded quietly out of the kitchen. He took a deep breath and picked up the firewhisky bottle. He didn't bother to pour himself a shot. Instead, he brought the bottle to his lips and took a swig. He hoped Lavender was okay. She was tough, and he was confident that she could take care of herself, but he still worried about her and her reckless nature. He hoped she would come home tonight.

He watched the clock on the wall. It was nearly two in the morning. He knew if he stood up that he'd stumble due to the alcohol thrumming through his system. He considered going to bed but knew he'd toss and turn until he heard Lavender come home. A part of him cared for her more than he should. She didn't even like him. She was mean, and still thought of him as a traitor despite everything he'd risked to be on the light side of things.

Theo's head snapped to attention when he heard the doorknob on the front door jiggle. He heard it close followed by a loud bout of shuffling. He watched as Lavender's clearly drunk figure stumbled past the kitchen threshold. He stood carefully from his chair and followed her. She slunked towards the hallway bathroom.

"Lav, you okay?" He asked quietly. Lavender didn't answer, instead she slumped over the toilet bowl and discarded all of her stomach contents into it. Theo quickly lowered himself to the floor and pulled her tangled blonde hair away from her face. He held it behind her head in a makeshift ponytail and she threw up everything but her pride into the toilet. She glanced at him over her shoulder with a smirk.

"You're a real mate, Theo." She slurred. Theo chuckled softly and rubbed the space between her shoulders with his free hand before pulled her into his arms.

"You okay?" He asked again.

"Better now." She said. Then without warning she knotted her fists into his t-shirt. "Want to go upstairs?" She asked, her liquor laced breath washing over his face. He shook his head at her.

"No, Lavender. You need to sleep, and so do I." He said gently. Lavender pulled her face back to study him and frowned. Theo bit back a smile at the confusion on her face.

"So you're… saying 'no.'" She said slowly, trying to process his words. Theo nodded.

"Yes. That's what I'm saying. I prefer my women sober. But let me help you up stairs." He awkwardly shifted to his feet, pulling Lavender up with him and wrapping his hand around her waist to steady her. He guided her out of the bathroom and up the staircase to her bedroom.

Theo closed the door behind them and sat Lavender down on the bed so he could remove her shoes. Lavender grabbed the hem of her shirt and yanked it up over her head before shuffling out of her bottoms and laying back onto her bed. Theo swallowed hard and averted his eyes from the soft curves of her body. He pulled her comforter around her and brushed her hair gently from her face. Then he stood and left the room. He shut the door softly before him and padded quietly back to his own bedroom.

 ** _*A/N_**

 ** _Please let me know what you guys think!_**

 ** _Huge shoutout to Slytherinxbadxgirl for beta reading. I don't know what I'd do without her 3_**


	9. Tears and Tantrums

**_*A/N._**

 ** _Goodness, you guys, this chapter was a tough one to write._**

 ** _I hope you all enjoy!_**

A cry in the night woke Hermione from a dead sleep. She bolted upright in her bed and strained her ears for another sound. Nothing, save Theo's motor boat snores drifting from the other room. Maybe she had dreamt it? She sighed and threw her covers off, knowing there was no way she'd be able to fall back asleep. She shuffled sleepily to her door and gently pulled it open. Another whimper tickled her eardrums and she turned her head intently. It was coming from downstairs.

Draco

Hermione ran down the stairs as quietly as she could, taking them two at a time. Something was wrong. She went over the scenario of the previous evening in her head. She had measured out the right amount of potion. She was sure of it. She rounded the corner at the bottom of the stairs and stopped behind the sofa in the sitting room. Hesitantly she peered over the back of the sofa and studied Draco. He was still asleep. His blanket was twisted around his legs and a thin layer of sweat covered his face.

"Don't." He pleaded to someone she couldn't see. His body shook at whatever imagine he was seeing behind his eyelids. . Hermione felt something twist in her heart. Slowly she rounded the sofa and sat down by his feet.

"Draco," she whispered, reaching out to rub his back through he's damp t-shirt, "it's time to wake up." Draco's eyes flew open and he bolted up with a gasp. He frantically searched the room before he caught sight of Hermione.

"Granger…" he whispered. He stared at her for a moment, as if he couldn't believe she was actually there. "Hermione." He said, his voice shaking. He leaned forward and Hermione furrowed her brow at him apprehensively. Draco leaned his head against her shoulder and let out a shaky breath. Hermione hesitated for a moment before wrapping her arm gently around his shoulders.

"It's okay," She soothed "you're safe here."

Draco's shoulders shook with silent sobs.

"I keep seeing his… his eyes." He said in a raspy voice. Hermione swallowed hard, picturing the scarlet eyes that Draco was referring to.

"You're not alone. I see them too. We all do. Voldemort is burned in our memories forever." She said with a shudder.

Draco shook his head slowly and pulled back to look at Hermione.

"No, not him. Potter. I keep seeing Potter's eyes in my dreams." He said levely.

Hermione's breath caught in her throat.

"Harry? You keep seeing Harry's eyes?" She asked in disbelief. "But that can't be- he hasn't been seen… we don't even know if he's alive-"

"He's alive, Granger. I know he is. I can't tell you how I know, but, I keep seeing him. Sometimes I even hear him." Draco's eyes bore into Hermione's, silently pleading for her to believe him. "Something's happened. I don't know when exactly, but some time in the last three years, something's happened." He said, his voice dropping to an uneasy whisper. Hermione swallowed hard. Her brain buzzed with all the new information. For a fleeting moment she wondered if she should alert the Order.

No, it was too soon. Moody would go ballistic. He'd torture Draco, or use him as bait.

"Are you starting to remember more?" She asked him. Draco shook his head.

"No, but I keep getting these- these inklings. Like something is trying to climb it's way to the surface of my brain, but I can't quite grasp it." Said Draco.

Hermione nodded slowly.

"I feel… damaged." He said, sounding defeated. He dropped his head into his hands and sighed. Hermione hesitantly placed a hand on his shoulder, when he didn't jerk away, she squeezing it reassuringly.

"You're not damaged. Your mind has been tampered with. Someone didn't want you to remember something significant." She watched the huddled figure and blinked back a tear. He was a git, but he was also lost and confused. "Draco… I'm sorry this is happening to you." She said softly. Draco lifted his head from his hands and gazed at her. For a moment she thought he would snap at her or jerk away. But he merely looked at her as if he were seeing her for the first time.

"Why do you keep doing this, Granger?" He whispered softly. Hermione knit her brows together in confusion.

"Doing what, exactly?" She asked.

"This. All of this. I've called you awful names, and yet, you feed me and comfort me, even though a few hours ago I called you a mudblood. Why?" He demanded. He didn't sound angry. Just confused, lost, even. Hermione sighed and jutted her chin out defiantly.

"I've always believed that people can come back from their past. The way you were raised doesn't have to define you. Pureblood ideology has failed you, Draco. It's closed you off to a whole group of incredible people." She explained. She blinked at Draco. Was he leaning closer to her? His steely eyes bore into her.

"Do you think you're incredible?" He asked. His breath blew into her face and Hermione caught a hint of peppermint laced with something sharp.

"Well I- I wouldn't say I'm 'incredible' per se. Maybe- clever occasionally, or perhaps-" Hermione was abruptly cut off when a soft pair of lips clashed against her own. She squeaked in surprise before letting her eyes fall shut. She tangled her fingers in Draco's silky hair and she pulled him closer. Something in the back of her brain screamed that this would end badly. Draco would freak when he came to his senses. He'd yank away and call her a mudblood and storm up to his room. Hermione stuffed the thought away. She knew he would hurt her, but in this moment, it felt good, and she needed something good, dammit. She deserved it.

Draco leaned into Hermione and she allowed him to guide her back until her head rested on the arm of the sofa. He adjusted his body, his lips never leaving hers, so that he was laying on top of her. His elbows rested on either side of her head. His lips moved hungrily against hers and Hermione pulled her legs up to wrap around his waist. Kissing Draco was better than kissing Ron and Viktor combined. Hermione ran her hands through his hair, enjoying the way it flowed through her fingers like fine silk. Draco traced his tongue delicately around her lips before softly prodding against them. Hermione sighed softly and allowed him to slip into her mouth.

Draco sank lower so that his torso was brushing against Hermione's. She peeked tentatively through her lashes and found a pair of grey eyes looking back at her. Draco ripped himself away from her violently. He flopped off of the sofa and scooted away from her, a look of horror set on his face. If the situation had been different, Hermione might have laughed at the way he desperately scrambled backwards across the floor, his feet frantically kicking to propel himself away. But instead she sat up slowly and felt an ache in her heart.

"Merlin." Draco gasped. He clutched at his already messy hair. "Don't fuck with my head like that!" He yelled. Hermione shushed him firmly.

"People are trying to sleep, Draco!" She scolded him.

"Like I give a fuck!" He spat.

Hermione pulled herself up from the sofa and took a step towards him. "Draco-"

"Don't touch me, Granger! Just stop, alright? Stop fucking with my head!" He said desperately. He stood shakily and leaned against the wall as far away from Hermione as possible.

"Draco, I'm not trying to-" she tried to explain.

"Shut up! I don't like you, Granger. You mean nothing to me! You're a nightmare, honestly." He sobbed. His face had gone a faint green. He swallowed hard, trying to choke back another sob. Without another word she left the living room and headed back up the stairs. She closed her bedroom door quietly and sunk to the floor. She bit down hard on her knuckles to stifle a cry that ripped its way out of her throat.

Rejection from Draco had been far more painful than anything Ron had ever put her through. Fat, angry tears fell from her eyes.

"You're a nightmare, honestly." He had said. Just like Ron had years ago during their first year. Hermione curled up on her side. She cried until there were no more tears to be cried and her throat was raw. Her shoulder ached where the hardwood floor was pressing into it. In the back of her mind she knew anyone else in this situation would turn Draco over to the Order, but she wouldn't. She couldn't. Despite everything he had said and done to her, she couldn't subject him to Mad-Eye and his grizzly ways of interrogation.

Hermione lay there until the pink hues of morning lit the wallssunshine drifted through her bedroom window. She sat up stiffly and rubbed her sore shoulder. Her legs groaned from being curled tightly for so long. With the back of her hand she rubbed the dried tears away from her cheeks and pushed herself up off the floor. She opened her door carefully and stepped into the hallway. She was sure that at some point she had heard Draco make his way to his own room.

Hermione had just reached the stairway when a sharp knock at the front door caused her to freeze.

 ** _*A/N_**

 ** _I know this chapter is shorter than my others, but trust me, it will be so worth it. I'm working my tail off on this next chapter so it'll be out very soon._**

 ** _Please let me know what you guys thought!_**

 ** _Huge, HUGE shoutout to Slytherinxbadxgirl and Saintmosshart_** ** _for beta reading. This chapter is exponentially better thanks to them._**

 ** _Much love!_**


	10. None of That Went as Planned

**_*A/N_**

 ** _I had so much fun writing this chapter. I've had it in my head since I first started this fic and I'm so psyched that I finally get to show it to all my wonderful readers! Huge shoutout to all of you that have been reviewing! Word can not express how much I appreciate your words. Truly, they are one of the biggest reasons I keep writing. So thank you._**

Hermione froze, her foot hovering above the stair step. She swallowed a lump in her throat and tried to stifle the panic that threatened to grip her. She glanced at the clock on the wall.

7:15am. Who was coming here that early? Certainly no one she was expecting. She didn't dare move as she waiting to hear another round of knocks. Perhaps the visitor had left. Perhaps they had gotten the wrong address. Death Eaters wouldn't have knocked. She was sure of that. They would have blown the door off and flooded the flat.

Hermione felt a prickling sensation on her skin. The hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. She felt a thick, sticky magic settle around her.

She knew this feeling well. Someone had cast an anti Apparition ward. Her heart hammered in her chest and she slowly backed away from the stairs and headed to Lavender's room as quietly as possible.

"Lavender! Wake up!" She whispered frantically to her sleeping roommate. Lavender groaned and pulled her blankets over her head.

"Lavender, someone's at the door." She said, shaking Lavender's shoulder. Lavender yanked her blankets off of her head and glared at Hermione.

"Just ignore them. They'll leave." She rasped. "Godric, my head is fucking killing me." She groaned.

Hermione ignored her. "Lav, whoever it is has cast an anti Apparition spell. They know who we are." She whispered desperately. Lavender sat up and looked at her in alarm.

"Who?" She asked, snatching her wand off of her bedside table and swinging her legs over the side of her bed.

Hermione shook her head. "I don't know, but they can't be friendly, whoever they are."

Lavender nodded at her."We need to warn the boys."

Hermione nodded frantically. "Tell them to stay quiet and hidden."

Lavender opened her bedroom door quietly and tiptoed down the hallway to the bedroom where the two Slytherins slept. Hermione took several deep breaths. Her mind whirred with plans and possibilities. She knew for certain that Death Eaters wouldn't have knocked, or come during the day. They certainly would have ambushed at night. Perhaps it was an Order member? But why would an Order member set up anti Apparition wards? She jerked her head up at the sound of Lavender's door creaking, and then sighed in relief to see that it was only her roommate.

They both jumped when another round of knocks sounded at the door, sounding more impatience this time.

"I think our best plan is to act casual." Lavender breathed. Hermione nodded in agreement. The calmer they were, the better. They crept down the stairs, both desperately trying to stifle the anxiety that gripped their throats.

"Okay. We can do this." Lavender said once they had reached the front door. She took a deep breath and rolled her shoulders three times before grasping the doorknob and pulling the door open.

Hermione blinked in surprise at the person standing opposite her in the doorway.

"Mrs- Mrs. Detweiler!" She said, trying to wrap her head around the now even more bizarre situation. Mrs. Detweiler was a muggle with absolutely no knowledge of the wizarding world. The Order had cleared her months before Hermione and Lavender had been allowed to move in. "To what do we owe this pleasure?" She asked pleasantly. "Please, come in!" She said, stepping back from the threshold. Lavender flashed her a panicked look before politely inclining her head to the old woman and motioning for her to step inside.

Mrs. Detweiler smiled sweetly at Hermione in a way that was strangely familiar. She shook it off and turned towards the kitchen. "Would you like some tea? We have chamomile, English breakfast, it herbal if you'd like." She opened the cupboard and pulled out three mugs. A small shuffle behind her caused her to turn. She blinked several times, trying to address the scene before her. Lavender stood facing her, a look of sheer panic in her eyes. Behind her stood Mrs. Detweiler. Her left arm was wound around Lavender's neck, and in her right hand she held a wand, its tip pressed threateningly against Lavender's temple.

Hermione watched in horror as the old woman's features began to change. Her grey curls morphed into shoulder length mousy brown hair. Her face widened and sagged, giving the appearance of a toad. In a matter of seconds, it wasn't Mrs. Detweiler that stood before her, but Dolores Umbridge. Hermione's mouth went dry and the mugs she was holding dropped and shattered to the floor. She had fought wars, been tortured by Death Eaters and even watched as Voldemort struck down her loved ones, but this woman struck a deep rooted fear in her like nothing else ever would.

"Here's how this is going to work, Miss Granger," Umbridge said, her voice sickly sweet, "you two are going to come with me to the ministry to be charged for your crimes against the wizarding world, and you're going to tell me where the Order is hiding out these days." Hermione tried to hide the relief she felt. Umbridge didn't know about Theo and Draco. She had to stall.

"How long?" Hermione asked, trying to speak loudly. She sent a silent prayer to Merlin that the boys could hear her. Umbridge blinked in confusion.

"How long? How long what, dear?" The old hag asked, narrowing her eyes.

"How long have you known we were here? How long have you been watching us?" Hermione tried to push as much shock into her voice as possible. If there was one thing Umbridge fed on, it was pride.

Umbridge smiled widely, showing nearly all of her yellowing teeth. "Oh, not long, dear. You see, you aren't exactly… discreet. I go undercover in muggle London frequently, you must remember that I never forget a face. I've caught many of you pesky Order members this way. You lot simply stroll through London as if you blend right in. Well, you don't. Upon one of my little outings I overheard a very agitated old woman complaining about her teenage neighbors. It was quite easy from there, my dear. You see, the old woman was rather offended at being called a 'muggle' by an intoxicated young man, and well, only your Mr. Weasley could be that obvious-" Hermione felt an odd rush of smugness once she heard this. Umbridge was dead wrong in her assumption that it had been Ron to blow their cover. "-I'm ashamed to say that I lost her after that. It took me a few weeks to find her again, but when I did, I befriended her. Which was terribly easy. She was very lonely. She invited me over for tea, and, well-" Umbridge broke off her tale with a wicked smile. "I'm sure you can guess the rest." Umbridge finished proudly with an evil glint in her eye.

Hermione felt her stomach churn. Mrs. Detweiler was dead. Murdered in cold blood. Truly, Hermione had hated the old woman, but she'd never have wished death on the old hag. There was a flash of movement behind Umbridge, Hermione did her best to ignore it. She had to keep Umbridge talking.

Hermione jutted out her chin stubbornly. "We'll never tell you where the other Order members are." She said in a tone of defiance. Umbridge laughed her high girlish laugh and smiled at Hermione again. Her eyes shined with malice.

"That's what they all say, Miss Granger. You must understand that we've done this, many times. People tend to loosen their tongues once they've watched they friends and family-" Umbridge was abruptly cut off. Her large bulging eyes widened so much that Hermione was worried they might fall out of her head. A dull thud rang through the kitchen. Lavender ripped herself away from Umbridge and sprinted towards Hermione. She spun and pointed her wand at the old toad, but there was no need. Umbridge stared at them in shock for a moment before falling to her knees and then to the floor. Her face smacked hard on the linoleum tiles.

Hermione stared at the body before slowly looking up to see Theo standing there, an iron candelabra gripped tightly in his hands. Behind him stood Draco, who was gripping a crystal vase.

"Is she…" Lavender began to ask. She trailed off and stared at the growing pool of blood soaked Umbridge's hair and the floor around her.

"She's dead." Theo said. His lip curling in disgust at the body.

Hermione swayed and was caught by Lavender. "I think I need to sit down." She said. Lavender guided her to over to the dining room table.

"Surely you've seen worse that this, Granger? It's not like any of us liked the old hag anyways." Said Draco. He smirked at her and Hermione snatched an old coffee cup off the table and launched it at him. Draco spun away before looking at her in shock.

"There is a dead body in my kitchen, Malfoy! Either you help come up with ideas on how to fix this, or you can shut your fucking mouth!" She screamed. Theo raised his eyebrows at her in surprise before a wide grin spread across his face. He winked and gave her a thumbs up. The kitchen was silent for several minutes. The only sound came from the muggle clock ticking on the wall.

"I've got it." Said Lavender finally. Everyone turned to look at her. "Do you remember in fourth year, when Moody was our DADA professor? Only, it wasn't actually Moody, it was Barty Crouch Jr.-"

"If you think any of us are about to take polyjuice potion and pretend to be that old bitch-" Draco started to say. Hermione yanked her wand out of her pyjama bottoms and shot a Pus Squirting hex at him. Yellow goo shot from his nose. Draco cursed and dashed to the sink. He sputtered and coughed as the the bitter liquid flowed from his nostrils in an endless river.

"Either come up with a solution, or shove off!" Hermione yelled to his back. Theo was roaring with laughter. He gripped the counter for support. Hermione waited for his laughter to subside before turning back to Lavender.

"So, you were saying?" She asked. Lavender stared at her in shock, her eyes sometimes flickering towards Draco when he made a particularly gross retching sound. With a roll of her eyes Hermione flicked her wand and the coughing and sputtering subsided immediately. Draco turned and gave Hermione a scathing look but didn't say anything. She turned back to Lavender and nodded at her expectantly.

"Well, uh," Lavender stammered. She gathered her wits and began again. "I was thinking about how Barty Crouch Jr managed to stay undetected. He killed his dad, remember? Then he transfigured him into a bone and buried him in the garden by Hagrid's hut…"

Hermione's head whirled with the events of fourth year. It had been a traumatic year to say the least. Alastair Moody, or rather Barty Crouch Jr had left deep scars in her psyche. She shivered when she thought about his lesson on the three Unforgivable Curses. She vividly remembered the look on Neville's face when Crouch had demonstrated the Cruciatus curse.

"It's perfect." She said after a moment. Even Draco nodded in agreement, though, he was still glaring at Hermione. "But not something we'd have to bury, though. Someone would find it suspicious if they saw us digging around in the flowerbeds outside…" All four of them looked down at Umbridge's body as they thought of how to hide her.

"Perhaps a rug?" suggested Lavender.

"Or a throw pillow?" Said Theo.

"I think she would sit rather nicely as a book on your bookshelf, Miss Granger." Said a thick Scottish accent from the doorway. Theo whirled around so fast he lost his balance and stumbled sideways into the counter. Hermione shot from her seat, wand at the ready, and stood shoulder to shoulder with Lavender, prepared to blast the intruder into oblivion.

Minerva McGonagall stepped into the kitchen, her expression took Hermione by surprise. Rather that being livid, she looked oddly amused, almost as if she had caught a toddler raiding the sugar bowl.

"How do we know it's you?" Spat Hermione. Though she respected her old professor greatly, her wand did not waver an inch. McGonagall arched an eyebrow at her and smiled.

"In third year, I wrote to the ministry to provide you with a time turner so that you could take every subject the school had to offer."

Somewhere behind her, Hermione heard Draco cough out something that sounded an awful lot like "nerd."

"Everyone knows about-" she started to say.

"You didn't use it just for classes though. You and Potter used it to go back in time and save Sirius Black, as well as Hagrid's beloved hippogriff, Buckbeak." McGonagall said smoothly. Hermione dropped her wand, feeling both relieved, but also very wary about what was going to come next.

"I can explain-" Hermione said quickly "Umbridge-"

But McGonagall held up her hand and Hermione instantly fell silent. "It is not dear Dolores that I am curious about. I can piece that together myself. But what I am curious about, is why you were having a perfectly civil conversation in your kitchen with two Death Eaters. One, that was allegedly dead up until a minute ago." She said. Her eyes raked over Draco and Theo before settling on Hermione.

Hermione gulped. In a jumbled, awkward rush she filled her old professor in on what had happened over the last two months. She left out the details or Draco's last dream, anger throbbed through her when she remembered what had ensued. McGonagall did not say anything for a long time after she finished. The headmistress simply took turns observing each and every face in the kitchen before her. Hermione felt her pulse pound in her ears.

"Gentlemen, if you would please make your way upstairs to your bedroom, I would like to speak with Miss Granger and Miss Brown alone." She finally said in a cool voice. Hermione let out a breath she had not known she had been holding in.

"We have a right to know-" Draco started to say. Hermione shot him a venomous look and he fell silent immediately. Grumbling, he stomped out of the kitchen. Theo shrugged before saying "nice to see you, Professor." and followed Draco up the staircase.

McGonagall regarded Hermione shrewdly for a moment. "Draco Malfoy has no memory of the past three years?" She asked.

"No, Professor."

"You're sure of it?"

"Yes ma'am."

McGonagall sighed and massaged the bridge of her nose for a moment. "You expect me to keep this from the Order? From Alistair? To protect Mr. Malfoy? The boy who bullied you incessantly?" She asked in disbelief.

Hermione squared her shoulders. "That's exactly what I expect, Professor. Draco is innocent. He's a prat, but he has no information to give the Order."

McGonagall nodded thoughtfully. "And Mr. Nott? What is your excuse for him?"

"He's changed." Lavender said, much to Hermione's surprise. "He's proved that to us by his actions. Luna trusts him, and so do we."

McGonagall nodded again, her eyes flicked between Hermione and Lavender for a moment. "I hope you girls understand the position this puts me in. You had better be right about those two."

Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Professor! I promise you, we aren't wrong."

"You're to report to me immediately if Mr. Malfoy remembers anything from the past three years."

"You have my word, Professor."

McGonagall nodded first at Hermione and then at Lavender. "And get rid of that." She said, indicating towards Umbridge. Hermione looked down in shock. Somehow she had completely forgotten about the dead body on her kitchen floor. "A book really is the best way to hide her." She said, turning to leave.

"Wait, Professor, I have a question for you." Hermione called after her.

McGonagall turned and waited.

"What exactly were you doing coming here so early?" She asked.

A small giggle escaped McGonagall's lips. "It's quite funny, actually. I came to warn you that Dolores had been seen snooping around Muggle London, and that you should be very, very careful."

 ***A/N**

 **GUYS. I feel so satisfied having murdered Umbridge. That's really all I have to say. Oh, and Draco was never going to get away with his behavior. Not even for a second.**

 **Thank you all so much for reading! Please let me know what you thought!**


	11. Oh, the agony

**A/N***

 **Guys, I know it's been awhile. Anyways, here's a fresh new chapter. I hope you like it.**

Draco sat on his bed glaring at a particular book on Granger's obnoxiously overfilled bookshelf. _An Exposé on Filing Cabinets_ , formally known as Dolores Umbridge. Granger had put it in his room on purpose. He knew it. 'It's best disguised this way.' She had said as she slid it onto the shelf. 'Honestly, Draco, we're all guilty here. Theo killed her, I transfigured her and now we've all taken part in hiding her body.'

Draco snorted and rolled his eyes. There were bookshelves all around the dingy flat, she didn't have to put it in his room. He flopped back onto the bed and stared up at the ceiling. He'd had another vivid dream last night. It hadn't been about Potter, though. It had been about bloody Granger again. Theo had finally taken to sleeping on the couch because Draco thrashed so hard in his sleep that he was giving the other boy bruises.

Draco held his hands up above his face and watched the light from the window drift through them. He sighed. He missed feeling the sun on his face. The windows in this flat didn't open. He could feel the warmth of the sun through them, but he longed to feel the soft breeze. He pulled himself up into a sitting position as the smell of baked goods hit his nose. It was probably muffins again. All Granger knew how to bake was fucking muffins. His long hair flopped into his face and he pushed it back in irritation. Merlin, he needed a haircut.

The kitchen was in its usual we-love-each-other-but-hate-Draco mood today. Theo and Brown sat at the table bickering over which words went where on the crossword puzzle, and Granger was busy frying eggs and humming to herself. Her wild hair was pulled up into a knot on top of her head, her wand was stuck through it to hold it in place. She turned briefly as he entered and then turned back to the eggs frying in the pan. She was still cold towards him after their… kiss… several nights ago. Draco wrinkled his nose at the thought. Kiss. It had barely been a kiss. He has been asleep. Well, mostly asleep. That's what he told himself anyways.

Draco sat down at the table and pulled a mug and the pot of coffee towards him. He poured himself a cup, making it a point to avoid the stack of coasters that sat right next to the coffee and mugs. He watched as his mug magically lifted, and a coaster slid neatly under it. He curled his lip. He glanced up at Granger and saw her watching him with a smirk on her face. He opened his mouth to say something rather cruel but she cut him off.

"You need a haircut." She stated before turned back to her pan and sliding the eggs neatly onto a plate.

"So what, are you gonna take me to a barber shop then?" He asked sarcastically.

"No, I'll cut it myself after breakfast." She said.

"You're not touching my hair, Granger." Draco laughed.

"I cut Theo's yesterday evening." She said.

Draco turned and studied Theo. He supposed the haircut wasn't all that bad. But it was obvious that his long messy hair irked Granger, and he intended to keep it that way.

"I think I'll keep the length." He said. He took a sip of his coffee and watched her over the rim. She turned towards him, two red circles appeared high on her cheeks. Granger wasn't one to blush much, but when she was angry her cheeks turned red. Draco would have thought it cute on any one else.

 _But on Granger it's adorable_. Said a voice in his head. Draco idly wondered what happened when she came. He ground his teeth and clenched his hand tightly around the handle of his mug. The ceramic protested under his fingers.

"Oi, Malfoy! That's my favorite mug, don't you dare break it!" Brown's voice cut through his disturbing, and rather pleasurable thoughts.

"Er, uh, sorry." He said, placing the mug back onto the coaster.

Brown stared at him, dumbfounded.

"Did-did you just apologize to me?" She asked. Theo turned to look at him, his brow furrowed. Damn Granger, clouding his thoughts. He had been raised with proper manners. Contrary to popular belief, it has taken him a long time to become the insufferable tosser they all knew and loved.

Ignoring Brown, he turned back to Granger, who was watching him with a raised eyebrow and a knowing look on her face.

"I'm not letting you cut my hair, Granger." He said stubbornly. Granger nodded.

"Great, once breakfast is cleaned up all be happy to trim it up for you. I'm very good, you know. I cut Ron and Harry's hair all the time when we were hunting horcruxes."

Draco furrowed his brow at her. "Horcruxes? What the hell are-"

"Oh gods, Hermione!" Yelled Brown, cutting off Draco mid question. "We have an Order meeting this afternoon!" She stared at Granger, a panicked look on her face.

"Relax, Lav. Moody won't be there. Draco and Theo will be safe." She said, waving her hand. "Besides, McGonagall knows about them. She'll make sure they go undetected."

"Oh, thank fuck we have McGonagall to protect us." Draco said sarcastically.

"Hey!" Granger said sharply, pointing her finger at him. "McGonagall could have turned you over to Moody for interrogation and she didn't. You're damned lucky she was the one that walked in on all of us and not anyone else."

Draco raised his hands in mock surrender. "Okay, Granger. Merlin, you're a tight ass this morning." He said.

Theo snickered. Granger narrowed her eyes at him. "Do not make me curse you again, Malfoy. Trust me, I can conjure up a mean Bat-Bogey Hex."

After breakfast Theo and Brown retreated up to her bedroom to "talk". Draco sat begrudgingly in a chair in the middle of the kitchen while Granger snipped at his hair with a pair of shears. He had tried to sneak off to his bedroom but she stopped him at the door way and threatened him with her wand.

"You know, we really could be civil to one another, Draco." She said.

Draco blew a piece of hair off of his nose. "No, Granger, I really don't think we could. You see, you're a know-it-all swot, and a mudblood-"

"So help me, Malfoy, I will shave your head right down the middle if you call me a mudblood again." Granger said through her teeth.Then after a beat she said "you didn't seem so put off by me the other night," in a snarky voice. Draco ground his teeth.

"I was half asleep, Granger. I thought you were Greengrass or some other slag that I was dreaming about. Besides that, I haven't even thought about that kiss. If that's even what you could call it."

But he had thought about it. Almost every night. He thought about kissing Granger, and he dreamt about shagging her. "Are you almost finished?" He snapped at her. "I'd like your grubby hands off of me as soon as possible." Something shiny flashed before his eyes. Surprised, he looked down to see the pair of kitchen shears stuck, tip down, into the kitchen chair between his legs.

"Finished." Granger snapped before marching out of the kitchen.

"Are you trying to neuter me, woman?!" He yelled in shock at her retreating back.

He yanked the shears out of the wood and tossed them on the table, thanking Merlin that they hadn't struck anything valuable, before heading to the restroom. He wouldn't be surprised if Granger had hacked his hair to bits, but he was surprised to find that she had done a good job. A feeling creeped up his throat. Guilt? Was he actually feeling guilty for what he had said to Granger? Merlin's tits, he needed to get out of this place before he lost it all together.

He turned from the mirror and trudged out of the bathroom. He needed to sulk. He skidded to a halt just before he ran into McGonagall, who was standing just outside the hallway. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"Mister Malfoy. Very nice haircut." She said with a nod. "It's about time you got rid of that rats nest."

Draco bit down on his tongue to avoid telling the old bint where she could shove her compliment.

"Thanks." He mumbled and tried to scoot past her, but she blocked him.

"I'm sure Miss Granger has informed you of the Order meeting that is taking place later this afternoon?" She asked.

"Yeah. It's super secret. Don't worry, Theo and I will be up in our room pretending we don't exist." He said with a roll of his eyes.

McGonagall studied him for a moment before nodding once.

"Very good." She said before turned away and heading to the kitchen where Granger was sweeping his hair off the floor.

Why didn't she just use magic? One flick of her wand and the hair would gather itself. Stupid mudblood. There it was again. Guilt. The thick feeling stuck itself to the back of his throat like molasses. He hurried up to his room where he found Theo, who sat on the bed with messy hair and flushed cheeks.

"Snogging the blood traitor again?" Draco sneered.

Theo rolled his eyes.

"For fuck's sake, Malfoy, you know none of that matters anymore. We are blood traitors now, too. And what's more, it didn't matter to begin with. It's all bullshite."

Draco clenched his jaw and sat down on the bed. "What do you think the meeting will be about?" He asked.

Theo shrugged. "Probably the usual. How are we going to stop You-Know-Who, where the hell has Potter gone, etcetera, etcetera."

Draco stared at him for a moment. "Brown tells you what the meetings are about? Wait-did you just say we? As in, you're on their side?" He asked, appalled.

Theo laughed "I thought it was pretty obvious what side I was on. I've been rooting for Potter from the start. I only took the mark because I had no other choice. I was never behind You-Know-Who, but I sure as hell didn't want to die. You know that."

Draco pulled back the sleeve of his grey jumper and studied the vivid black mark that jumped out from his ivory skin.

"None of us actually wanted the mark. Me, you, Parkinson, Zabini. None of us wanted it, the Dark Lord is an absolute psychopath, but that doesn't mean he isn't right. We, the purebloods, are superior above all others." But even as he said the words, he knew he didn't believe them. 'Pureblood' didn't carry the heavy pride that it used to. The skull on his arm stared at him in mockery. Fake he thought acidly. Traitor, rat, no better than the mudblood Granger. He yanked his sleeve back down over the mark.

Theo scoffed. "That's all bullshite, Malfoy. You know it is. Blood is blood. It doesn't mean anything. It never did. Hermione is muggleborn, and yet she kicked your arse in all of our classes. You're not just a pureblood, either, oh no, you're a Malfoy. The cream of the crop. And yet, you're here, in Hermione's flat. Under her protection. I mean, that's just about the most despicable set of circumstances a pureblood could possibly find themselves in." Theo said smugly.

A whirlwind of emotions were erupting inside of Draco. Threatening to crawl up his throat and pour out of his mouth. Guilt, anger, sadness, grief, self loathing, and every self pitying emotion there was. Something itched in the back of his brain. Something… he knew something. Or knew of something. The beliefs he had been raised on were crumbling around him, but it was almost as if he had ditched those beliefs long ago, and had somehow forgotten about it. Was it possible to forget that he had forgotten his prejudices? Did that even make sense? No. No it did not make sense.

Theo made his way across the room and tried the doorknob. It didn't budge.

"Looks like the meeting already started."

He said. He walked to the bookshelf and pulled down on of the books Hermione had gifted Draco months ago, A Tale of Two Cities, and settled into the armchair in the corner. Draco flopped back into the bed and closed his eyes. He was exhausted even though it was only late afternoon. His eyes fluttered shut.

 _Draco watched the fire crackle on the snow covered ground. Across from him sat Harry Potter, who had a rather large gash across his left cheek._

 _"We could look in Romania. I know you don't think it's likely that he hid one there, but-" Harry tried to reason, but Draco cut him off._

 _"There aren't anymore, Potter. You know it, and I know it. You had to have messed up the spell, or maybe You-Know-Who used something else to make him immortal, like a back up plan in case all of his Horcruxes were found."_

 _Draco watched the flames dance around. He picked up a small twig next to him and threw it in, watching the fire consume it. The twig curled in on itself before crumbling away._

 _"What spell could he possibly have used then, Draco? There has to be another Horcrux." Harry said desperately. "Maybe… Maybe it's me. Maybe I'm not the- the Chosen One. Maybe the prophecy-"_

 _"The prophecy is bullshite, Harry." Draco said, looking up and staring the other boy in the face._

 _"It's_ _bullshite, do you hear me? It's moot. It doesn't matter anymore. You-Know-Who is smart. He covered his ass and he did it well. We have to be smarter than him-"_

 _"I miss Hermione." Harry said, cutting Draco off mid tangent. "She- she would know where to look. She would know what book to read through. I'm useless without her…"_

Draco's eyes sprung open. The room was dark, the moonlight shone through his window. Tomorrow night it would be full. No wonder Brown had been more on edge lately. He looked around the room and found that Theo had gone at some point. Horcrux his mind whispered. What was a Horcrux? Something that made Voldemort immortal. But how? A memory danced on the edge of his brain, as impossible to grasp as a vapor. Horcrux. He knew what a Horcrux was. He had to know. He had been discussing them with Potter somewhere in the woods. Why on earth has he been with Potter?

Aggravated, he pulled himself up off of the bed and crossed the room. He tried the knob and it clicked open easily. After a moment, Draco heard voices coming from downstairs. They sounded heated. He recognized Granger's voice right away. But the second was only vaguely familiar. He crept silently down the staircase careful to stay in the shadows, until he could clearly see the front door. He saw Granger standing there, holding the door open. Her jaw was set and her brow furrowed. Draco's eyes followed her glare and fell upon one Ron Weasley.

Oh great. Weasel is here. He thought acidly.

"It's time for you to go, Ron." Granger said firmly. She held the door open wider.

"C'mon, Mione, can't we just talk for a minute? I miss you." Weasley pleaded. Draco wanted to gag at the fake desperation in his voice. He tightened his fist as Weasley reached his hand out to Granger

"Don't touch me, Ron!" She snapped.

Good girl. Draco thought smugly. Don't let his scummy hands touch you.

"I just want to talk to you!" Weasley yelled. He yanked the door out of Granger's grip and slammed it shut. Grangertook a step back, her eyes wide with shock. Weaseled massaged the bridge of his nose.

"I'm-I'm sorry, Hermione. I just want to talk. Please? Can we just sit down and-"

"- I think you should leave, now." Draco said before he could stop himself. Weasley's head whipped around to where he was standing, hidden in the shadows.

"Who said that? Who's there?" He asked, squinting to see Draco.

"Go back upstairs!" Granger said, panicked. "This doesn't concern you. Just go back upstairs."

"I'm not going anywhere until Weasel walks out that door.

 _Fuck._ He'd called him 'Weasel'.

"Who- Malfoy?!" Weasley said in shock.

 _Double fuck._

Weasley pointed his wand at Draco. "Come here!" He demanded "Step out of the shadow so I can see you!" Draco stepped forward, his classic smug grin on his face.

"Miss me? Weasel?" He asked arrogantly. The look on Weasley's face was absolutely livid. He raised his wand, to cast a curse, probably, but Granger jumped in front on him. Putting herself between Draco and the very angry red head.

"Don't, Ron!" She cried. Wesley looked at her in shock.

"He- you- you're protecting him?!" He roared at her. "After everything he's done?! _HE KILLED DUMBLEDORE, HERMIONE_!"

"Oh please, Ron, you know that actually wasn't him!" She screamed back. Weasley stared at her, dumbfounded.

"Does Moody know about this?" He asked after a beat. Draco's heart sank. He had hoped that Weasley would just assume everyone was keeping him in the dark, and that Moody actually did know that Granger was housing a Death Eater. And he knew Granger couldn't lie.

"He-well, we were going to tell him-" she began frantically, but Weasley cut her off

"Well. Now you don't have to." He turned and threw the door open and stormed out. Slamming it shut behind him. Granger turned and looked at Draco. Her eyes full of seething anger. For a moment he thought she might hex him.

"Do you know what you just did?!" She screamed. "You just blew our cover!" And with that, she turned and chased after Ron.

Draco heard footsteps on the stairs behind him.

"What happened? We heard yelling!" Brown said frantically.

"Well, I could be wrong, but- I _think_ Weasley knows I'm here."


	12. Reunion

Hermione ran to catch up with Ron before he apparated away. Maybe she could explain? She could always wipe his memory. She hated herself for even thinking it. She didn't believe in violating someone's mind like that. Even if it meant protecting Draco and Theo. She bolted down the steps and turned the corner just in time to see Ron turn on the spot.

"Ron-!" She cried, but it was too late. He had gone. She considered apparating off to look for him, but quickly realized that it was nearly curfew, and she had no idea where he had gone. Looking for Moody, obviously, but she had no idea where Moody even was. Defeated, she turned and trudged back up the stairs, kicking herself for not keeping Draco's bedroom door locked until every Order member was out of the flat.

Hermione opened the door to her flat and her eyes fell on Draco, who was sitting on the sofa with Lavender and Theo. She marched up to him and smacked him as hard as she could across the face. Lavender gasped, Theo laughed and Draco looked at her in pure shock.

 _"Do you have any idea what you've done?!"_ She asked in a high pitched voice before picked up the newspaper off of the coffee table and smacking him over the head with it.

"Ron-" *smack* "-is going to tell-" *smack* "-Moody-" *smack*

"HERMIONE." Draco yelled. He snatched the newspaper out of had hands and tossed it behind him. "He wouldn't leave. You had asked him to leave and he wouldn't go! And then he yanked the door away from you and I just- I had to say something." His stormy grey eyes searched her face, and for the first time in months, Hermione got a glimpse of the real Draco. The Draco that peeked through when he had had too many glasses of wine, or when she woke him from a nightmare.

"You were… defending me." It wasn't a question. Draco scoffed and crossed his arms, his protective wall firmly back in place.

"Well I bloody well couldn't sleep with you two yelling at each other now could I?" He said with a sneer. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. You were standing up for me, and that's beside the point. You completely blew our cover! Ron is going to tell Mad-Eye, and then we're all completely-" she was cut off abruptly by a loud smash behind them. She turned just in time to see Kingsley Shacklebolt crash through the door. He looked wildly around the room before his eyes landed on Theo and Draco. He raised his wand at them.

"Hermione, Lavender, get out of the way!" He demanded.

"No!" Hermione cried. She threw herself in front of the boys. Shacklebolt studied her for a moment before pointing his wand at her.

Everything went black.

Hermione woke in an unfamiliar room, she could hear muffled voices, a lot of them. It sounded as if they were arguing.

"Lavender?" She called out. There was no response. "Theo? Draco?" Still nothing. She walked across the room and tried the door. It was locked. Of course it was locked. She reached behind her for her wand but realized it wasn't on her.

"Lavender!" She called again, louder this time. She walked the parameter of the room and pressed her ears against the walls. She pounded on the door. "Hey!"

The voices stopped abruptly. She heard a set of footsteps approach her door.

"Stand away from the door, Hermione!" Came Lupin's voice. Hermione stepped back and crossed her arms. The lock clicked and Lupin stepped into the room. He eyed her suspiciously. Hermione noticed that he looked ragged, the way he always looked after a full moon. Which was odd since the full moon wasn't for another 3 days.

"What day is it?" She demanded.

"January fifteenth." He said. Hermione furrowed her brow.

"But the Order meeting was on the Twelfth," she gasped "we've been here for three days? But Lavender-" Lupin cut her off.

"Lavender and I were together during the full moon. I can assure you that she is perfectly fine. Well, she's not fine, but she's safe" he said.

Suddenly Hermione remembered the events that had gotten them here.

"Remus!" She cried, "Theo and Draco. They've defected. They don't have any information for Moody-" Lupin held his hand up and Hermione went quiet at once. Her heart was pounding. What if she was too late? What if they had already tried to get information out of the boys? What if Moody had killed them? Her blood ran cold.

"We know all about Theo and Draco," said Lupin. His soft eyes searched her face. "Kingsley casted a pretty heavy sleeping spell on the four of you. Of course, Lavender roused from it, being a werewolf and all, but we kept you other three asleep until we could figure out how to handle this situation. But trust me, Harry has filled us in-"

"HARRY?!" Hermione screeched. She rushed at Lupin and grabbed the front of his robes. "Did you just say Harry? As in Harry Potter? He's alive? You've talked to him? Is he okay? Is he safe? Does he-?"

"Why don't," Lupin yelled over her endless flow of questions, "why don't you let him tell you himself?" He asked. Hermione started at him for a moment, too afraid to let his words sink in. It couldn't be true. No one had heard a single peep from Harry in three years. Hermione had done her mourning. She had cried herself to sleep every night for the first year after he had gone missing. She had waited every day for an owl from him, or a patronus message or at least something that would tell her that he was alive.

Lupin gently untangled her hands from his robes and stepped off to the side. There, standing in the doorway, was a man. Bits and pieces of him resembled her very best friend, but other parts of him were different all together. His warm crooked smile was still the same. His vibrant green eyes and messy hair were an exact copy of the Harry she had grown up with. But he was taller. His arms were thick and muscular, his jaw squarer, and he has a nasty scar over his left cheek.

Time stood still as she drank him in. A thousand emotions flowed through her. Elation, because here he was, her very best friend, standing before her. Anger for the exact same reason, sadness, because a part of her knew this couldn't be true. It was a dream. Had to be a dream. She pinched her arm as hard as she could and gasped when it actually hurt. So, not a dream. A spell then. A spell put on her by Moody. This was her punishment for aiding and abetting two Death Eaters. Any second now Harry would fall to the ground, dead, and she would desperately try to revive him, or he'd scream in pain, tortured by an unseen force. She stared at him and brace herself. Ready for the onslaught.

"So, I'm just going to make the first move here, okay?" He asked. Oh Merlin, his voice was the same. In her dreams it was usually slightly different. Just different enough that she knew it wasn't real. This was a whole new kind of torture. Even someone as dark as Moody couldn't think this up. This was Voldemort's work, then. But no. It couldn't be. Because Shacklebolt had been the one that had bursted into their flat. And Voldemort wouldn't know that Lavender was a werewolf. She watched in a daze as Pseudo-Harry crossed the room and stood before her. His eyes searching her face.

"It's me, 'Mione. I promise it's me. Here, I can prove it." He turned his head and Hermione saw it. The scar on his left ear where she had accidentally nicked it while she was cutting his hair.

No one would know that tiny detail.

No one, not Voldemort, nor Moody, would have added something as minuscule as the teeny tiny scar that flashed white against Harry's skin.

Harry.

Harry.

"Harry." She said. Her voice barely above a whisper. And then she was crying. Great, fat tears rolled down her face. Someone, anyone else would have hugged him. But she just stood there and cried. Harry pulled her into his arms and she buried her face into his chest. He even smelled the same. Sobs rocked through her body.

"Harry… can't believe…" she gasped between sobs.

"Shhh. 'Mione, it's okay. I've got you. I've got you and I'm never letting go." He said softly. His hand smoothed her hair. Her knees gave out and Harry swept her up into his arms and walked to the bed. He cradled her, she same way he had when Ron had walked out on them in the forest all those years ago.

Some people might have viewed their friendship as odd. Inappropriate, even. Many, many people had assumed that Harry and Hermione were secretly in love, but that couldn't be further than the truth. They were close, as close as siblings. They had fought together, starved together and nearly died together countless times. Their bond was entirely unique.

"Don't you have any questions for me?" Harry teased lightly. Hermione nodded her head.

"I do, but I don't want to kill the moment. You know?"

Harry laughed.

"Well, I could simply tell you, if you like? Then you can ask my any questions you might have after." Hermione nodded and unfolded herself from Harry's lap. She sat next to him and looked him in the eye. "What happened after the Battle at Hogwarts?" She asked.

Harry took a deep breath. "Do you remember how we thought the diadem was the last Horcrux? Well, we were wrong. There is one more, well, hopefully only one more. That night when You-Know-Who and I faced off, I could feel his power. I knew that it was still too strong. We had missed one. If he had been using his own wand, he would have killed me for sure. I fully believe that the only reason he didn't kill me was because he was using the Elder Wand, which, as you know, rightfully belongs to me-"

"Harry," Hermione interrupted "how does Draco fit into all of this?" Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I was getting there." He scolded lightly. Hermione pursed her lips and nodded, motioning for him to go on.

"Anyways, some time in between destroying the diadem, and Snape being killed, I ran into Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy. They were looking for Draco. I told them about the Fiendfyre and about how I had lost Draco after that. Someone on You-Know-Who's side, probably Snape, had tipped them off about You-Know-Who planning to off them after the battle was over. They begged me that if I survived, I would take Draco with me into hiding and protect him. Hermione, I couldn't say no. If it had just been Lucius asking me, I would have turned away, but Narcissa- to see a mother begging for her child's life like that, I couldn't say no. So I agreed. I told them that if I survived, if our side lost, that I would wait behind Hagrid's shack for Draco. To be honest, I thought the chances of me surviving if we lost were pretty slim.

So at some point when You-Know-Who and I were facing off, I felt a lightness around me and I knew that the anti-apparition wards had been lifted. I knew that I'd be able to apparate if I could just break the tie between our wands. Someone in the crowd, I'm assuming it was one of the Malfoys, cast a spell that made the dirt around You-Know-Who and I to explode. It surprised him and broke the tie between our wands. I took that opportunity to apparate to the shack and I waited for Draco. It was so hard, Hermione. It was so hard to wait by the shack while I could hear the screaming of my friends and family. Even from the shack I could see the flashes of green. I didn't know if any of you survived. I was about to go back but just then Draco showed up and we left."

Hermione stared at him, her eyes welling up with tears. "So you-you just left us? To protect Draco?"

Harry sighed and put his head into his hands. "I made a promise, Hermione. And I knew Narcissa and Lucius were as good as dead. I couldn't take it back. I had made it thinking our side would win, or that I would die. I couldn't go back for you guys. The guilt of it all ate at me for months. Draco and I nearly starved to death. He didn't know how to do anything for himself. Do you remember how you had to cook for Ron when we were hunting Horcruxes because he couldn't do anything for himself? Draco was like that, but worse. You'd have thought his mummy still combed his hair in the mornings by how helpless he was." Harry chuckled but when Hermione continued to glare at him, he continued quickly. "Once we had been gone for six or so months I decided that I had had enough, and that I was coming back for you and Ron, but Draco stopped me. He had nowhere to go. The Order wouldn't have protected him, and there was no way Ron would have been able to focus with him around. I was stuck between a rock and a hard place, Hermione. And Draco is almost as sharp as you. He had a lot of creative ideas about what the last Horcrux could be-"

"How did he end up plastered in an alley in Muggle London?" Hermione demanded. Anger rolled off of her. Harry had abandoned her, abandoned Ron, his very best mate, to protect Draco Malfoy. "And how could you even stand him for a day, let alone three years?" Harry looked down and picked at the skin around his thumb. A nervous habit he'd always had since they had known each other. Hermione smiled when she remembered that once, so many years ago, she had tried to invent a charm that would cause Harry's fingers to wiggle incessantly whenever he tried to pick. Somehow she had messed up and caused him to punch himself directly in the face. Ron had fallen out of his seat from laughing so hard. She wished she could make him punch himself in the face now. Hell, she wished she could punch him in the face herself. But it was rude to punch your friend after he'd been missing for 3 years. She sat on her hands to stifle the temptation.

"Well, it was hard at first. We fought a lot. Said some pretty nasty things to one another. At night I would think about leaving him. I'd come up with a plan to pack up and just leave him in the middle of nowhere, but then I'd think about Narcissa begging me to protect him, and I just couldn't do it. I wanted to, blimey, I wanted to strangle him sometimes. But after we nearly starved to death, it forced us to rely on one another, and slowly we started to get along. He's funny, you know. Witty, and sharp as a tack. We became allies, and then we became friends. For nearly a year after that we worked together. But Draco was always bad about leaving traces of us wherever we camped. Eventually a group of snatchers started to track us. We didn't know until it was too late. They had us surrounded and even though they couldn't see us or get to us inside of our protective spells, they caged us in. Anti-apparation spells, alarms that would go off if we stepped outside of our protective barrier. We were running out of resources. So we came up with a plan. I was raised as a muggle until the age of eleven, so I remembered how my aunt and uncle would talk about the homeless people that would beg on the streets. I knew that if I could disguise Draco as a homeless person, he'd be safe in muggle London until you found him-"

"Wait, wait, wait, you planned for me to-" Harry cupped his hand over Hermione's mouth. She yanked her face away and glared at him.

"Stop interrupting me or it's going to take all night to tell you. I've already told this story once to the Order, I'd like to get it over with. Besides, I haven't eaten since yesterday morning. I was waiting outside of your bedroom door for you to wake up so I missed dinner." He said. Hermione nodded silently, waiting for him to go on.

"So anyways, it was fairly easy to make him look like a bum. We were already half starved and filthy from being caged in by the snatchers, so it was just a matter of wiping his memory and dousing him in booze. I knew we had to split up. If we hadn't, the snatchers would have caught one of us and used them to lure in the other. I couldn't come to you guys for help. Would you have believed me if I had shown up at your doorstep after 3 years and asked you to help me save Draco Malfoy? He was supposed to be dead. Hell, I was supposed to be dead. So we split up. The memory charm I used on him was one of his own inventions. It linked our minds, so to say, and it didn't wipe his memory completely. Even if I hadn't come back sooner, he would have regained all of his memories within the next year."

Hermione couldn't help herself. She had to ask, "Why did you wipe his memories in the first place? He could have told me all of this on his own."

"If Draco Malfoy had shown up at your flat telling you that he and I had been hunting Horcruxes together for the last three years would you have believed him? Personally I think you would have cursed him into next week. But besides that, it was precautionary. If the snatchers had gotten him, he wouldn't have had any information to give them. His memories were released only because he was with you, Hermione. If he had been in the custody of anyone else, they would have never surfaced."

Hermione blinked in surprise. "Harry, that's very advanced magic. I don't even know if I could have come up with a spell like that." Harry gave her a lopsided grin.

"We had worked on it for two whole years. When I cast it on him, we had never even tried it. It was simply a theory. I can't tell you how relieved I was when it didn't kill him. So anyways, I sent him to you. It was a risk, but I had an idea of your whereabouts. But after I saw your face in my dreams, I knew he was safe. That's the other part of the spell that I forgot to mention. Draco and I's minds are linked. It's a bit like the link You-Know-Who and I have, but far less invasive. I can't invade his mind. It's like a one way radio. I see a rundown of his day in my dreams. Which, for the record, is something I'm very thankful to be rid of. Lots of wanking." Harry wrinkled his nose and Hermione giggled.

"So why did you come back?" She asked. Harry took a deep breath and looked down at his hands. The skin around his left thumbnail was raw and bleeding.

"Because I found the last Horcrux." He said.

"What is it?"

"It's me."

 ***A/N***

 **So, obviously in this story Harry never found out that he was a Horcrux. I have a ton more planned for this story. At this point, I'm guessing it'll be around 30 chapters. Maybe more. Every time I write a chapter, a feel like a million more ideas spring up in my mind.**

 **I'm so happy that our trio is finally reunited. I look forward to writing to dialogue between HP, HG, DR and RW. It's going to be a lot of fun.**

 **I know there are still several unanswered questions, but don't worry, they will be answered in the next few chapters.**

 **Let me know what you guys think!!**


	13. So it Goes

Draco sat awkwardly at the dining room table of Remus Lupin's home. He pushed his untouched brussels sprouts around on his plate. To his left, Alastair Moody glared daggers at him, his wand sat next to his plate. Once in awhile, his electric blue eye would flash down to his wand, and then back up at Draco. To his right, Potter hovered protectively, ready to intercept Moody in case he decided to lunge across the table and strangle Draco right then and there. Surprisingly, this was the least awkward interaction of the night. Weasley and Granger sat opposite each other, both of them stabbing the vegetables on their plates a little too hard. Weasley aggressively yanked a brussels sprout off of his fork with his mouth and chewed it, making sure to open his jaw wide. Granger huffed in disgusted annoyance.

Draco had awoken nearly two hours earlier to the sound of two screaming voices. He had stumbled around the room disoriented as he desperately tried to line up the events that had happened in the past 3 months. Memories came flooding back to his mind. Images of forests and Harry Potter mingled with flashes of Hermione Granger. He remembered the spell Potter had cast on him. He remembered the snatchers, and the hunger. He remembered waking up in Granger's spare bedroom. He remembered the things he had said to her. Things he no longer believed. Things he hadn't believed for years. He had called her a mudblood, filthy, grimey, and yet she had made him food, and coffee, and he had never so much as thanked her. She had jumped in front of him to protect him from Kingsley Shaklebolt's curse. The guilt had nearly eaten him alive. The two voices outside his door hadn't ceased their screaming. He had ran to the door and pounded on it, begging for someone, anyone, to listen to him. To listen to his apologies. Granger had yanked his door open, her curly hair all in disarray. Behind her stood Weasley, the look of murder on his face.

He was casting that look at Draco now. Granger caught him and flicked a piece of potato at him.

"Stop it, Ronald." She scolded. Weasley ignored her and continued to stare at Draco.

"So we're just supposed to believe that you've defected, then? Harry shows up after three years and spouts off some story of a heroic journey you two took, and we're just supposed to accept it?" He demanded. Draco rolled his eyes dramatically.

"Look, Weasel, I know this is a lot of information, and it's hard for your simple mind to understand, but-"

"Enough." Said Lupin firmly. He glared at Weasley, and then Draco before turning his attention back to his half finished dinner.

Weasley looked down at his plate and mumbled "Just don't know why we're suddenly believing this slimy git-"

"RONALD." Said a booming voice from the doorway. Both boys whipped their heads around. Molly Weasley stood there, her arms folded and her eyes fixed on her son.

Draco quickly looked down at his place. Even when he had been the rat faced, pain-in-the-arse of his youth, Molly Weasley still scared him. Now that fear was equaled by the respect he had for the woman that had killed his aunt.

"Do not" she said through her teeth "ever questions the judgement of Harry, or this Order again. Do you understand me?"

Weasley hung his head, his ears had turned bright red. "Yes, Mum."

"Good." She searched the faces at the table until her eyes fell on Draco, Potter and Mad-Eye.

"Alistair!" She snapped, "do you doubt Harry?"

Mad-Eye turned towards Mrs. Weasley, even he didn't dare to disrespect her. "No, ma'am." He said.

"Do believe that he is being dishonest about Draco?" She asked.

"No, ma'am." He said again.

"Well then, I don't see any reason for you to be intimidating the boy in the manner that you are." She said.

Mad-Eye cast one last loathing look at Draco before standing from the table and leaving. Mumbling incoherently all the way out.

Mrs. Weasley watched him leave before turning back to Draco.

"Draco, come with me, if you please." She turned on her heel and left the kitchen. Draco stared after her before he felt a sharp elbow to the ribs from Potter.

"You better follow her, mate." He said. Draco swallowed and stood from the table. He rubbed his hands nervously on the fabric of his pants and followed her.

Mrs. Weasley was seated on the sofa, on her lap was a shiny, emerald green box tied with a silver ribbon. She patted the cushion next to her and Draco sat.

"You've done a lot to help my boy." She said. Draco furrowed his brow. He had never done anything to help Weasley, and if he had, he sure as hell hadn't meant to.

"Not Ron." She said, as if she'd read his thoughts. "Harry is like a son to me. He has been since he was eleven years old. I would lay my life down for him just as I would for any of my other children. I want you to know that I'm here, Draco. I'll be your family, if you'll let me." She handed the package to Draco. He untied the silver ribbon wrapped around it with shaky hands. He lifted the lid and inside sat a knitted green sweater. It donned a large silver 'D' on the front. Memories flashed in his mind. He was thirteen and teasing Weasley of a sweater that was not so different than this one. 'Too poor to buy new clothes, Weasel? What did you mum make that out of? Her own hair?'

He swallowed the lump in his throat. "I can't accept this, Mrs. Weasley." He said, pushing the box back at her. "I don't deserve it. I don't deserve anything-"

"Nonsense." She said, cutting him off. "This war isn't your fault. How you were raised was not your fault. We all make mistakes, Draco. We all have regrets. We can choose to let those things define us, or we can start over." She placed the package back in his lap and left the room. Draco gingerly placed the lid back on the box and took it up to his room.

He managed to hold the tears back until his door was firmly shut. He let out a great sob and crumpled to the ground. He pulled his knees up and tucked his face into them. These people were good people. They were brave, and strong and loyal. He was none of those things. He was a coward. A coward who had run off with Harry Potter to save his own skin. He bore the mark of murder and oppression on his forearm for all to see. There had even been a point in his youth where he had worn it proudly. A symbol of his devotion to a monster. He stood up and drew in a long, shaky breath, thinking about what his father said if he had found him crying. 'Malfoy men don't cry.' He'd say, then he would have yanked Draco up by the back of his robes and whacked his shins with his cane. Draco laughed humorlessly to himself. He wasn't a Malfoy. He wasn't a man. He was a worm. A worthless, spineless worm.

A soft knock on his door startled him. He quickly dashed away his tears.

"Who is it?" He asked in a thick voice. The doorknob clicked and Granger stepped into the room.

"Draco!" She said excitedly. "I can't believe I almost forgot! I have a-" she stopped when she caught sight of his face. So it was obvious that he'd been crying.

Fanfuckingtastc.

"What happened?" She asked, worried.

"I don't belong here." He said. He couldn't look at her, couldn't bear to think of all the awful things he'd said to her over the past 3 months, the way he had treated her. "I don't deserve to be here."

"Don't say that." She said softly. She slowly crossed the room until she was standing in front of him. "Look at me, Draco."

Draco looked up. His eyes met hers. Merlin, her eyes were beautiful, two deep pools of gold, with tiny flecks of green here and there.

"You belong here. You belong here as much as I do. You took care of my best friend for nearly 3 years. You watched out for him. You deserve to be here." She said firmly, her voice barely above a whisper.

"It's my fault Dumbledore's dead. It's my fault the Dark Lord won. It's my fault you have to spend your life in hiding." He said. Tears stung the back of his eyes.

"We forgive you. I forgive you." Granger said. She reached out her hand to take Draco's.

"Well don't!" He yelled suddenly, making her jump. "Don't forgive me! I don't deserve it! I deserve to rot in Azkaban. I deserve the Dementor's Kiss. Look at this!" He yanked up the sleeve of his jumper, revealing the ugly black mark on his forearm. "Look at this and tell me again that you forgive me! You don't get to just- just forget about all that I've done! All that my family has done! Longbottom's parents are insane because of my family! Your parents don't even know who you are, because of my lot and what we've done! Everyone sitting at that table tonight, every single one, has lost someone they love. One of their children, or a spouse, or a friend. Because of the purebloods-"

Granger stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him, pinning his own arms to his sides. He broke down into great sobs and buried his head into her shoulder. Somehow this made it all so much worse. Feeling her comfort him after all of it.

"I called you a mudblood bitch." He choked.

"I know." She murmured. She pulled back to look at him. "I'm not excusing your actions, Draco. I'm forgiving you for them. There's a difference. I'm not pretending you didn't say awful things to me, I'm choosing to let them go." Her eyes searched his. He had never been this close to Granger. Well, he had, but it has been in the middle of the night, and it has been very dark. Here, in the light he could take in all the little details of her face. Like the light dusting of freckles across her nose, or the long, thick lashes that framed her golden eyes. Merlin, she was magnificent. He felt his muscles relax under her hands. His eyes wandered down to her mouth. Her lips were moving, but he wasn't listening to what she was saying. Her sweet breath washed over his face.

Before he could stop himself, or even think to stop himself, he was covering the last few inches between them, and then he was kissing her. Her soft lips brushed against his. He gently tugged his arms out of her grasp and brought his hands up to her thick, tangled hair. His fingers intertwined with her curls and he deepened their kiss. Hermione grasped onto his shoulders and pulled him into her. Merlin, she tasted even sweeter than he'd remembered.

Gently, she sucked his bottom lip in between her teeth and he let out a low groan. His hands crept down her back until he reached the hem of her shirt. He tugged it up and Hermione pulled back to drag it over her head. She tossed it behind her impatiently. He pulled her back to him and latched back onto her, his hands running freely up and down her back and sides. Hermione's hands wove between them and slipped under his jumper. She rested her hands on his hips and her tongue darted in between his lips and he let out another groan. He felt a growing knot in the front of his trousers and he brushed it gently against her front, earning a small gasp.

A knock sounded at the door and Hermione ripped herself out of his grasp with a shall shriek.

"Draco?" Came Harry's voice from the other side of the door. "We're having an Order meeting downstairs in five minutes, I'd like you to join."

"Where the bloody hell is my shirt?!" Hissed Hermione in panic. Draco stifled a laugh when the doorknob jiggled and she waved her hands in panic. She scurried behind the door just in time for Harry to push it open.

"Hey, did 'Mione come up here? She has… What's so funny?" Potter asked when he caught sight of Draco's face.

Draco cleared his throat and tried to act serious.

"Nothing. Just, ah, thinking about that time we snuck onto that Snatcher camp while they were gone and filled their pillows with troll dung."

Potter blinked and then laughed with him. "Ha! I forgot we did that. Anyways, go find Hermione before the meeting. She has something for you." With that, Potter turned on his heel and left the room. Draco shut the door behind him and let out a bellowing laugh at the sight of Hermione, who's cheeks were bright red, and hair in disarray.

"So you have something for me?" He asked. He turned and plucked her blouse off of his bed rail and tossed it to her. Granger tugged it over her head and straightened it.

"Yes. I have a wand for you in my room." She said, glancing at herself in the mirror. She tried to comb through her mane with her fingers and huffed in frustration when the curly strands sprang back into their usual messiness. She turned and looked at him with bright eyes.

"Shall we go get it?" She asked.

Draco shook his head in confusion. "Wait, you have a wand? For me? I'm allowed to have a wand?" He asked.

"Um, yes." Granger said, as though it was obvious. Draco stared at her for a moment. Granger huffed. "We have an Order meeting to get to in three minutes. So do you want it now, or after?" She asked impatiently.

"Erm, now, I guess." He said, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. Merlin, she made him feel like a child sometimes. She spun on her heel and walked out of the room. Draco followed her.

Granger handed him a wand made of dark wood, eleven and a half inches. He weighed it in his hand before casting a simple spell. There was a slight resistance, but over time it would ebb and disappear.

"What is the core of this one?" Asked Draco. He held the wand between his hands and flexed it gently. It gave just a little, similar to the way his Hawthorn one had.

"Dragon heartstring, I believe." Said Granger. She watched Draco twirl the wand between his fingers. "I hope you like it. I picked it myself. Wands with a dragon heartstring core tend to bond to new owners easier than one with a unicorn hair core of Phoenix feather core. The wood is Blackthorn. It should bond to you pretty easily. It's a hearty wand. I'm not sure who it belonged to before you, though. Not a death eater, I know that for sure. This wand doesn't have a body count. I wanted one with a clean record. A fresh start, for you." She said. Her eyes searched his face.

Draco felt a lump rise in his throat. He was so bloody emotional today. "Thank you, Granger," He said in a thick voice. An awkwardness hung between them. The realization that they'd just been snogging set in. Not just snogging, sexy-pull-all-of-your-clothes-off-and-kiss-me-like-there's-no-tomorrow snogging. Granger had been topless in his bedroom. He'd been grinding against her, biting her neck.

"Granger-"

"Time for the meeting!" She said in a high pitched voice, cutting him off. "I'll, er, see you down stairs."

She spun on her heel and sped out of the room. Leaving him with unsaid words on the tip of his tongue. The wand- his new wand- sparked against his fingers. It felt good to have a channel for his magic again. Almost like a built up pressure was being drained from his body. Helping to clear his mind. Pent up magic made a person foggy and sluggish. Most people didn't know that magic had a physical weight to it, in the same way that a brick did. It built up, and weighed a wizard down. Wands acted as outlet for that magic. Sure, wandless magic was always a possibility, and Draco was quite good as wandless magic, but the spell Potter had put on him all those months ago had blocked it, which had been a very smart idea because he hadn't been able to hurt Granger. With one last look at the wand, Draco stowed it away in his pocket and followed Granger.

The dining room was buzzing. Every head at the table turned to look at Draco when he entered. He cleared his throat and found a spot between Potter and Oliver Wood, directly across from Granger, who was pointedly avoiding eye contact with him. A thick, heavy silence fell over the room.

"What the fuck is he doing here?!" Yelled Ron Weasley from the other side of the room. Granger whipped her head in his direction. Potter cleared his throat.

"Ron-"

"-No! I don't want to hear it, Harry! You keep defending him-"

"-That's enough, Ronald!" Granger ground out angrily.

"Oh, shut up, Hermione. He may have convinced you that he's good enough to jump in bed with, but the rest of us-"

Draco slammed his hand down on the table and stood up, his chair toppling over behind him.

"Don't you ever," He said, leaning across the table and pointed his wand at Weasley "ever speak to her like that again."

Weasley stood to meet him, pulling his wand out to meet Draco's.

"Try me, Malfoy."

"Alright, enough, boys!" Said Lupin firmly. "We have important matters to attend to, and if you two can't be civil, then you will sit this meeting out."

Weasley cast Draco one last glare before stowing his wand and sitting back down. With a flick of his wand, Draco's chair sprang back up and he sat back down. He could feel Granger's eyes on him. He turned towards her and arched his eyebrow. She pursed her lips and turned to look at Lupin.

Lupin cleared his throat, "Now that Harry is back, we have to work fast. If Tom gets wind that Harry is alive, he'll tighten security, and we'll lose our chance to do this the easy way."

"Do what the easy way?" Asked Mrs. Weasley.

Lupin rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "We need to get Harry to Tom-"

There was a gasp in unison, then everyone was yelling.

"-You want to make Harry face him again, after what happened last time?!"

"-Do you want Harry to be killed, Lupin?! We only just got him back!!"

Draco turned towards Potter and laughed. "They don't think you can handle yourself, Potter."

Potter just shrugged.

"SHUT IT!" Granger boomed. Draco pursed his lips and sat quietly. Granger made a point to glare at everyone in the room before turning back to Lupin.

"You were saying, Remus?" She gestured to him.

Lupin cleared his throat. "Erm, yes, as I was saying, we need to get Harry to Tom. Now, that will be difficult, but I'm confident that we can catch him by surprise. There is the matter of getting around Dolores Umbridge. She's somehow been able to thwart us at every available-"

"Umbridge won't be a problem," interrupted Granger awkwardly, "Theo killed her weeks ago…"

Theo! Draco had completely forgotten about Theo! He searched the faces at the table, knowing Theo wouldn't be there.

"Where is Theo anyways?" Asked Draco. The whole table burst out in awkward chuckles.

"You mean you don't hear them, mate? Their room is right next to yours!" Laughed Potter.

"Nott and Brown have been going at it like rabbits since they got here." Said Oliver Wood. "Maybe they finally silenced the room."

"Thank Godric for that." Mumbled Weasley, slumping low in his chair.

"Still sore about the one that got away, little brother?" Asked George, elbowing Ron in the shoulder.

"If you don't remember, I broke up with her." Weasley said.

George laughed before turning back to Granger. "So Theo killed her? When? How?"

Granger chewed on the inside of her lip. She quickly explained how the events that followed Umbridge breaking into their flat.

"So you just… transfigured her corpse into a book?" Asked Potter once she was done.

"I-yeah. I did." Said Granger. There was a moment of silence before whooping and clapping broke out. George Weasley waved his wand and shots of fire whiskey appeared in front of everyone. He raised his own glass and cheered "to Umbridge's death!"

"To Umbridge's death!" Everyone cheered back before tossing back their shot.

"What's going on down here?" Came a voice from the doorway. Draco turned to see Theo standing there.

"Nott!" Exclaimed George, "glad you made it out, mate!" He waved his wand and another chair appeared. "Have a seat, we were just talking about your body count."

The rest of the meeting proceeded without anymore distractions. With Umbridge out of the way, the plan to get Potter in front of the Dark Lord became easier than expected. Stake out teams were organized to watch the ministry. The plan was very similar to the one Potter, Granger and Weasley hatched 4 years ago when they broke into Gringotts.

After the meeting, everyone drifted into different rooms. Some took to playing Exploding Snap in the sitting room, others were drinking coffee at the dining room table, theorizing how to pull the Horcrux out of Potter without killing him.

Potter was in the corner, having a heated argument with Mrs. Weasley.

"I just don't understand why I can't see her!" He yelled, running a hand through his messy black hair.

"I've already told you, Harry, she's not the same. She lost Fred, then she lost you. The war has taken so much from her-"

"Yes but she'll be getting me back!" He reasoned.

"I said no, Harry! Why can't you see that I'm trying to protect her from-"

"Oh, fuck this!" Potter snarled. He snatched his jacket up from the back of the chair where it was hanging, turned on the spot, and disappeared with a loud crack!

"Mrs. Weasley stared at the spot for a moment before saying "I just know he's gone to see Ginerva!" And with that, she was gone, too.

Draco looked around the rest of the kitchen, unsure of where to go. He realized that Granger must have slipped out while he was distracted. Theo was gone as well. Weasley was still sitting in his chair, glaring daggers at Draco.

"Take a picture, Weasel, it'll last longer." He said with a smirk. Weasley curled his lip at him. Draco decided to head back to his own room. He would not-no matter how much he wanted to-knock on Granger's door.

Draco lay heavily on his bed. He pulled out his want and accio'd a few things around the room, then he took a shower, then he rummaged through his drawers for some pyjamas. He folded and refolded his clothes (with magic, of course) he shaved the stubble on his jaw, and finally, after laying in bed for over an hour, he made his way to Granger's door.


End file.
